Many people experience cracked heels. They bring severe pain while walking and discomfort. Rough and rough skin has an unaesthetic appearance and is constantly inflamed from wearing uncomfortable shoes, as well as street dust in the summer. If the heels of your feet are cracked, you need to start treatment immediately. However, before you begin to treat cracked heels, the causes are clarified. Treatment at home takes place after a diagnosis has been made and suitable remedies have been selected that will help get rid of cracked heels quickly.
What causes the skin on the heels to crack - the main factors
Coarsening of tissues leads to disruption of the cover and the appearance of tears. If cracks have formed due to problems in the body, then getting rid of them is not easy. To do this, you will have to undergo an examination, identify and eliminate the cause:
- Fungus . A fungal infection causes the skin to lose its elasticity. The spores penetrate the blood, so it is unlikely to be limited to applications alone. A visit to a dermatologist or mycologist will speed up recovery. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe medications. If you follow the instructions carefully, deep cracks in your heels will soon disappear.
- Disruptions in the endocrine system . Abnormalities in the thyroid gland or diabetes are often accompanied by roughening of the feet and other parts of the body. The diseases are accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, hair loss, dryness, swelling, but the diagnosis should be carried out by an endocrinologist.
- Anemia. Iron is involved in the synthesis of hormones, enzymes and amino acids. Its deficiency negatively affects the condition of epidermal cells, complexion, and tone. It is not difficult to diagnose; just visit the nearest laboratory and donate blood for analysis.
- Dermatitis . The problem is dealt with by a dermatologist who prescribes comprehensive treatment. Schedule a visit if your soles are cracking and are accompanied by itching, redness, and peeling.
- Diseases of the digestive system . Disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract impair the absorption of nutrients. This provokes many problems, including aesthetic ones.
- Vitamin deficiency . The elasticity of the skin is affected by vitamins A, E, and ascorbic acid. Their deficiency leads to vulnerability and susceptibility to defects. For medicinal purposes, pharmaceutical drugs are taken as prescribed by a doctor after laboratory tests.
Uncontrolled use of medications can aggravate the problem, causing a deterioration in well-being.
All this increases dryness and provokes the formation of corns. The area that has lost its elasticity cannot withstand the pressure that occurs when walking and bursts. In addition, cracking can be caused by excess weight, as well as hormonal imbalance as a result of menopause or pregnancy.
Competent treatment of underlying diseases in combination with appropriate care will help cope with foot injuries, giving them an attractive appearance.
Causes
Cracked heels are a common problem that affects both adults and children, but women have been found to be more susceptible to the problem than men. Most often, tears appear on heels with dry skin that is prone to the formation of calluses and hyperkeratosis.
There are other factors:
- Open shoes . Especially in the warmer months, everyone abandons tight, supportive boots in favor of open sandals and flip-flops. Unstable position of the heel, exposure to sunlight and dust - all this provokes the formation of excessive dryness and, as a result, cracks.
- Heavy load on the legs . Cracks often appear in people who spend most of the working day on their feet. Constant pressure on the feet provokes skin tears of varying depths, which cause pain and discomfort when walking.
- Tight shoes made of artificial materials . In artificial shoes, air exchange is impaired, and excessive tightness provokes constant friction.
- Taking frequent hot showers or baths . Prolonged use of water procedures deprives the skin of moisture, makes it dry and increases the risk of cracks.
- Diseases . The list of diseases that can cause cracks to form is quite extensive. Among the most common diseases are diabetes mellitus, overweight, hypervitaminosis, vitamin deficiency and anemia. If you suspect that one of these diseases is the cause of your cracked heels, consult a doctor immediately.
- Fungal infection - the affected skin is not capable of regeneration, so you need to treat the infection first and only then the cracks.
A guide to diseases and problems with nails: diagnosis, causes and remedies for 12 diseases - Pregnancy. Due to the increased load on the legs and general weakening of the body, pregnant women often experience cracks in the legs, especially at longer periods.
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- Hyperkeratosis. As a result of excessive keratinization and thickening of the epidermis in the area of the soles, the skin becomes rough and dry, calluses, painful and bleeding cracks appear.
Why do heels crack - cause and treatment at home
The main factor in the formation of cracks is the loss of elasticity of the skin. If we exclude internal problems, then the main points that contribute to this are the following:
- Failure to comply with hygiene standards.
- Incorrectly selected shoes.
- Excessively intense peeling.
Before running to the salon, objectively assess your condition. Remember the expression: “The best is the enemy of the good?” This is exactly the case. Too thorough removal of keratinized tissue thins the top layer. It cannot withstand the weight of the body and bursts under pressure.
Perhaps this is the only situation when “you need to wait and the problem will solve itself.”
In addition, cracking is often observed among those who like to walk barefoot. For example, I sometimes see followers of the teachings of Porfiry Ivanov and involuntarily pay attention to the condition of their feet. It leaves much to be desired, but here everyone sets their own priorities.
The best remedy for cracked heels is a comprehensive approach: hygiene, balanced nutrition, comprehensive health care. Click on fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, beef liver, and sea fish. Lose excess weight if you have it, get examined, undergo a medical examination. Lead an active lifestyle: spend more time in the fresh air, get enough sleep, and do not overwork.
Symptoms
- The presence of visible skin breaks of varying depths. The most obvious symptom that signals an already developed defect. If cracks are detected, immediately begin treatment and identify the causes of their formation.
- Painful sensations. They are especially pronounced when walking, and can also worsen at night.
- A burning sensation in the heel even at rest.
- Itching.
- Excessive dryness of the skin of the feet. Dry skin without quality hydration can cause cracks, so don't lose sight of this indirect symptom.
- Frequent occurrence of abrasions and wet calluses due to improper foot positioning. This is how a person strives to minimize painful sensations.
Cracked heels: affordable healing
Traditional medicine should be used on a clean, steamed foot. From all the recommendations, choose what helps you with cracked heels. Monitor your body's reaction and notice positive changes.
If the affected areas are not treated immediately, then over time they become rougher and begin to cause discomfort not only when moving, but also at rest.
First aid
A softening bath is a basic procedure with which care begins. The composition may differ, but the order remains the same:
- feet are washed;
- immerse in warm water with a decoction of chamomile, string, sage, soda solution or other ingredients;
- steam for 15 minutes;
- take out, wipe, clean with pumice or file;
- lubricate with a moisturizing emulsion.
Medicinal herbs soothe, relieve inflammation, and heal ruptures. Regular care reliably protects against coarsening and penetration of pathogenic microorganisms.
Ointment for cracked heels
For a tablespoon of thick cream, take two drops of vitamin A and 0.5 tsp. calendula tinctures. The components are thoroughly mixed and stored in the refrigerator. They will stay there for about a week. Apply once a day before bedtime. To enhance the effect, wear tight footwear.
Oatmeal for cracked heels
Simple, cheap and effective method, one of my favorites. It is better to do the procedure at night or if you have free time. It will take 3-4 hours, no less.
Take natural oatmeal or Hercules. Boil the porridge in water, cool, apply to napkins made of natural material, and wrap them around your feet. Place plastic bags and socks on top. In the morning, we remove everything, rinse it, clean off the softened layer, and lubricate the surface.
St. John's wort decoction
If the skin on the heels is very cracked, then pour 15 grams of dried St. John's wort into 3 cups of boiling water, wait an hour, strain, and pour into a basin. Add 2 tbsp. l. natural apple cider vinegar.
Prepare a warm bath every evening before bed. After 15 min. dry your feet with a terry towel, lubricate with cosmetic milk, put on clean cotton footwear.
Recipes
If you are worried about dry heels or cracks on them, most people often resort to the services of beauty salons. This takes a lot of time and money. However, the procedures can be carried out at home. This will require folk recipes for cracked heels. From the entire list, you can choose a more suitable method for yourself.
List of recipes for tidying up your heels:
Grated apple
You can remove nicks on your heels by using an apple. It must be grated. Wash your feet and clean your heels with pumice stone. Apply applesauce and secure with gauze. After an hour, rinse the mixture with water and lubricate your feet with cream.
Honey with olive oil
Honey with olive oil
To cope with cracks, it is recommended to apply honey with olive oil. The components are mixed in equal proportions. The product should be applied for 20 minutes. Then rinse your heels with water and apply cream on them.
Curdled milk with butter
To prepare the mixture, you will need to soften 100 grams of butter in a bowl and add 250 grams of yogurt to it. Mix the product. Apply to heels after a soap bath. The mixture should be rubbed into the heels. Treatments are carried out several times a day.
Honey cake
If your heels are very dry and cracked, a honey cake will help. You need to mix a few tablespoons of flour and honey and knead the cake. Divide the dough into 2 parts, and after the steaming procedure, place them on the heels. Then the cake is fixed with film, and socks are put on top. In the morning, the compress is removed and rolled into balls until the next procedure. Dough from 1 cake can be used up to 3 times. Applications are carried out for one week. This is the time when the rough skin will come off and you can admire your legs without cracks.
Coconut oil
Patients with cracks often resort to using coconut. Coconut oil treats cracked heels and is an effective remedy in the fight against foot problems.
You just need to spread coconut oil on clean, exfoliated feet with a pumice stone, apply a cabbage leaf, wrap your foot in a bag and put on socks. Leave the product on all night or for 3 hours.
Ointment made from oil, vinegar, eggs
You can achieve a positive effect by using the ointment recipe:
- A raw egg
- Vinegar 70%
- Butter 400 grams
Wash the raw egg and put it in a glass, pour vinegar essence and leave for 5 days. The vinegar will cook the egg. Then the egg should be crushed with a spoon until pureed, mixed with vinegar in which the shell has dissolved. Add oil to the mixture and stir.
The product must be refrigerated for 5 days. Treatment with ointment is carried out at night. Before use, feet should be steamed in soapy water and the wounds should be rinsed with a solution of manganese. Apply the ointment carefully to dried cracks and rough areas, as it can be very unpleasant (burning, pain). It can even cause a burn if the ointment gets on a healthy area of the heel.
After use, you need to fix it with polyethylene and put on socks. In the morning, wash your feet and treat them with baby moisturizing cream. Treat heels at home with a remedy until the cracks heal completely.
Cracked heels - what to do, folk remedies
If your feet have lost their attractiveness, pay attention to how you feel and reconsider the principles of caring for your appearance. If cracking is caused by external factors, then it is quite possible to use simple and affordable techniques.
Application for cracked heels
You will need mashed potatoes, heavy cream and honey:
- boil and mash one potato,
- put 30 g of cream,
- add a spoonful of honey,
- cool to a comfortable temperature,
- apply on a cotton napkin,
- wrap the problem area,
- wait an hour,
- wash it off.
Honey and oil nourish, soften, and potatoes restore damage, preventing the appearance of new wounds.
Onion compress for cracked heels
Onion juice or gruel is used for deep ruptures accompanied by pain. The mass is distributed over the pre-steamed area and secured with a bandage. Here is a miracle recipe:
- Chop a medium-sized onion. A meat grinder, grater or blender will do.
- Place the resulting pulp on gauze napkins. Apply them to the problem area, cover with a piece of polyethylene, and secure with an elastic bandage.
- Leave for 3 hours or overnight, remove, wash, lubricate with nourishing milk.
Don’t let the pungent smell stop you, onions do their job with a bang. The wounds usually heal after 3-5 procedures.
A more complex composition includes honey and mustard oil (unrefined). They are taken in equal proportions, the compress is prepared in the same way as the previous one. Onions can be replaced with green onions.
How to get rid of cracked heels quickly at home - an easy recipe
This is my favorite method that I use regularly. Even my pedicurist noted positive changes. It's very simple. Not the most elegant, but working. Wool socks! They not only maintain warmth, but also prevent overdrying.
Everything ingenious is simple. To get rid of cracked heels, you first need to steam them, lubricate them with a nourishing cream, and then put on socks.
I noticed that most often roughness appears in the summer, when I run around the apartment barefoot. This causes the feet to become rough, and the next stage is the appearance of cracks. Once I switched to wearing wool socks instead of slippers year-round, the problem went away.
Ointments
Ointments for heels
It is better to use ointment for cracked heels at night after washing your feet and treating them with pumice. After the cream is applied, it needs to be absorbed, and then socks are put on. To quickly eliminate the problem, it is recommended to apply the products in the morning and evening.
You can buy cocoa butter, shea butter, wheat germ, calendula. But you can make wax-based cream at home.
Propolis cream with wax
This homemade ointment contains natural ingredients that promote rapid healing of the skin.
To prepare the product, you need to fry the onion in vegetable oil. Strain the oil through cheesecloth. Place a glass of the resulting vegetable oil, 100 grams of wax and a piece of propolis on low heat. After the wax has completely dissolved, it should continue to boil for about 2 minutes. Then pour the mixture into a container. The ointment will thicken after standing for a while.
Ointment with wax and oils
Melt a teaspoon of wax in a water bath, add a spoonful of cocoa butter or shea butter. The melted mixture should be set aside and a small spoon of liquid oil of sea buckthorn, rose hips, and wheat germ should be added to it. Pour the product into a jar.
Calendula ointment
This is an inexpensive and effective cream that can be bought at any pharmacy. After the bath, you need to apply ointment to the skin of your heels, put on socks and go to bed. After 5 sessions, your heels will look much better. It is recommended to apply the ointment for 12 days in a row.
Yolk cream
To make the product, you need to beat 1 yolk and add to it a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Before going to bed, you need to steam your feet and then lubricate them with ointment. Wrap your feet in film and put on socks. In the morning, remove the product under running water. Treatment must be carried out for at least 7 days.
Badger fat remedy
Heat the fat in a water bath. Then you need to prepare a decoction of celandine and calendula. Pour the solution into the badger fat, stir well and cool. Before use, the desired portion of the ointment should be warmed and applied in the evenings.
The most effective folk remedies for cracked heels with a healing effect
There are a number of methods that have received a huge number of positive reviews. They use ready-made ingredients, but this does not make them any less effective.
The best composition for cracked heels is glycerin and vinegar.
Glycerin is based on trihydric alcohol, which has a high water-holding capacity. It softens well, and apple cider vinegar kills fungus. The two substances complement each other perfectly. To make a healing mixture, you need:
- take 3 tablespoons of pharmaceutical glycerin,
- pour 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar,
- mix,
- lubricate the affected areas,
- cover with film
- put on tight knee socks,
- leave overnight.
The mixture will help even with advanced calluses, corns, and cracks. It is better to use it every other day. The course consists of several procedures.
Vodka and aspirin for heels - recipe
I warn you right away that I haven’t used this myself, so I can’t say anything. Judging by the reviews, this lineup is weaker than the previous one. But it relieves inflammation and heals small wounds. Required components:
- glass of vodka,
- 5 aspirin tablets.
Crush acetylsalicylic acid tablets, pour into vodka, mix thoroughly until maximum dissolution. The liquid can be used for baths, simply poured into a basin, or applied externally twice a day.
Hydrogen peroxide and glycerin for heels - recipe
These two components must be in your first aid kit. When used correctly, they quickly make even the roughest feet pink and tender, like a baby’s. The mixture copes with stubborn dirt, softens and heals wounds.
Hydrogen peroxide and glycerin for corns have many positive reviews . The combination cares for the affected area and heals damage. Preparing a bath is easy. To do this, you need to take a small bowl, pour 2 liters of warm water into it, measure out 15 g of H2O2 (three percent) and the same amount of glycerin.
For noticeable results, 10-25 minutes are usually enough. Then the feet should be rinsed, carefully clean the dead layer, lubricate with cream .
Treatment of cracked heels with hydrogen peroxide at home should be carried out in the absence of contraindications: signs of intolerance, allergic reactions, redness, irritation.
Masks
If your heels are peeling or cracking, home treatment may include the use of masks.
Ready-made heel mask
Young zucchini mask
You will need a small zucchini. Grate the pulp or grind it using a blender. Add olive oil to the pulp and apply it to the cloth. Apply a mask overnight and insulate it with cellophane or a scarf.
Goat fat mask
You need to melt goat fat in a water bath and then rub it into the cracks. The course takes place in the evenings and consists of 5 procedures over 5 days.
Essential oil mask
You need to take a rich baby cream, add 10 drops of chamomile or lavender essential oil to it, mix well and lubricate the cracks in the evenings at night. This mask for cracked heels will show results after 4 days of use.
Professional approach
Cracks on the feet and peeling are a serious reason to contact an experienced podiatrist. The specialist will do the right pedicure and tell you what to do next.
The technician will treat problem areas and eliminate the defect. This is about the question of how to cure cracked heels quickly without the use of pharmaceutical drugs.
There is a special technique - “opening the crack”, when its edges are removed with sharp tongs or attachments for hardware pedicure. After this, the crack heals. To prevent it from forming again, you must periodically visit the pedicure room and follow the recommendations of a specialist.
When to see a doctor
There are times when creams, masks and oils cannot correct the situation.
You should contact a specialist if:
- More than 7 days have passed since the start of self-treatment, but there is no positive dynamics.
- Tears in the heels are more than 1 mm deep - in such cases it is better to trust a doctor who will select adequate treatment.
- In the presence of diseases that cause cracks. For diabetes, hypervitaminosis or anemia, masks and creams will not help, and time for treatment will be lost;
For diagnosis, consultation and treatment, contact a doctor in one of the following specializations:
- Dermatologist – deals with skin diseases.
- Podiatrist – identifies and eliminates foot problems.
- The therapist is a generalist doctor who will collect information about symptoms and refer you to the right specialist.
About treatment by a doctor
If a disease is identified that caused the cracks to form, it will be treated. To restore the skin of the feet, it is likely that the doctor will prescribe the above methods and means. He will also recommend regularly resorting to hardware medical pedicure. The keratinized skin is cut down as deep as possible on the sides of the crack.
Cracked heels: prevention measures
After successful healing, it’s time to start prevention. To protect yourself from problems in the future, follow a number of rules:
- Wash your feet regularly and clean with a low-abrasive pumice stone rather than a metal file.
- Wear comfortable shoes made from natural materials.
- When visiting a bathhouse, water park or swimming pool, use rubber slippers.
- Eat healthy food, do not forget about the balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and a sufficient supply of microelements.
- Control your body weight.
- Strictly adhere to the pedicure schedule (every three weeks).
- Use moisturizer daily.
Many people experience cracked heels. Untidy feet can spoil the impression of a person. You can clean them not only in the salon, but also at home. This does not require expensive ingredients or complex equipment. Independent manipulations will not replace doctor’s consultations, but will serve as an effective addition. Simple techniques will help you achieve beauty and health.
Essential oils
Aromatic products can carefully and delicately heal and soothe cracked heels, as well as moisturize the skin of the feet without the use of additional creams.
Using oils you can do massages, baths and even homemade cream:
- Massage. For a healing foot massage, you need to take 2 types of oil: sesame or coconut (to moisturize and soften the skin) and lavender, lemon, etc. (for quick healing and disinfection). Regular evening massage not only speeds up the treatment process, but also relieves fatigue;
- Baths . Adding essential oils to baths prevents the development of deeper cracks and tightens existing ones. The best options are tea tree oil, coconut oil and lavender oil, as they have antifungal and healing properties. 3 drops of oil are enough for one basin;
- Homemade cream. The basis of such a cream is to take avocado, calendula, coconut or olive oil, and add oils with healing properties to them. If you have an ordinary fatty cream without fragrances on hand, then you can also use it as a base.
