How to Fix Cracked Heels Permanently

Cases of cracked heels can be painful and unappealing, and finding a cure for cracked heels can be frustrating. There are a number of different causes of cracked heels, from severe athlete’s foot to general dehydration, as well as psoriasis, and every different cause needs different treatment. It’s worth mentioning that you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional, but some guidelines can be used to help prevent cracked heels. A few home treatments may also help to relieve painful heel cracking, particularly when dealing with mild cases.
Below is a guide to home remedies for cracked heels that may offer you some relief, but please note that any information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice from a professional. This is for personal guidance; any medical information here is carefully sourced, but some of it may be a trademark of Healthline media, so should not be used commercially.
Treating Cracked Heels at Home
Heel fissures are a common problem that affects many people. While off-the-shelf treatments for cracked heals are great, some people home based solutions. Fortunately, there are several different remedies you can use to help with your cracked heels at home. These are unlikely to function as a permanent cure, but they can help a great deal with relieving your symptoms and reducing pain, as well as making your feet look smoother and more attractive.
One of the best options for helping with dry, cracked heels is simply to change your footwear habits. Foot sweat is one of the biggest causes of athlete’s foot, which is, in turn, a major factor in dry, cracked heels. Wearing 100 percent cotton socks can make a big difference. You may well have to wear your cotton socks to bed, but a good pair of pure cotton socks can be a great help with controlling the conditions that cause cracked heels.
If you apply a layer of petroleum jelly or other moisturizer to your feet before putting on these socks for sweaty feet, then they will help to trap all of the moisture in your skin, keeping it supple and healthy without creating unpleasant sweating and similar problems. Overly dry skin on your heels can cause severe cracking. This can be eased a little with the help of applying a moisturizer to hydrate that outer skin layer that cracks so badly and reduce water loss.
You will need to apply a thick layer of moisturizer over the top of your skin and leave it there to trap moisture in the skin properly. This will need to be done two or three times per day for the best results, but over time it can help to heal your feet significantly, reducing pain and softening your dry, cracked skin. If the cracked skin on your heels is a thick layer, then you may be tempted to take a knife to it.
This is a very bad idea and should be avoided at all costs! Instead, try rubbing your heels with a pumice stone to scrape away the very top layers of skin. You should only do this after applying a moisturizer to your heel, which will soften the skin and make the pumice work properly. Rub gently in circular motions to scrape away the thick layers of dead skin evenly and smoothly, and be careful not to go too hard or too fast, as this can cause damage to the skin of your feet!
The next step up from pumice is to apply a keratolytic to your heel. Keratolytics are substances that break down excessively thick skin, softening and thinning it by breaking down the keratin in your skin. This can cause the dead outer layer of skin to slough off, leaving soft, clean skin underneath. Keratolytics include substances such as urea, salicylic acid, and alpha-hydroxy acids like lactic acid or glycolic acid.
Many of these can be easily bought in most pharmacies, making them a good and accessible option for breaking down tough, dry layers of thick, cracked heel skin without medical intervention. Urea is generally considered the best of these to use for most cases, as it acts as a humectant moisturizer as well as a keratolytic, moisturizing your skin as well as breaking down the thick layers of dead skin on top.
Alternatively, you can cover the cracked heel skin with a liquid bandage. These come in a range of different forms, such as liquids, gels, and sprays. A liquid bandage will create a seal over the surface of your heels, preventing dirt and infection from getting into the fissures and promoting faster, safer healing. Simply apply a thin layer of liquid bandage to the surface of your heel and allow it to dry fully before putting on any socks or shoes.
If none of these options are showing any sort of improvement at all after around a week, then you should visit a dermatologist or consult another licensed medical professional immediately. This should also be your first course of action if your heel cracks badly enough to start bleeding at any point! Feet can become infected very easily, and it is important to take care of them at all times.
Medical Treatment for Cracked Heels
There are a number of different methods that medical professionals use to treat cracked heels and remove dead skin from feet. Many of these will effectively relieve painful heel cracks, although you will often have to take preventative measures afterward to prevent the return of your cracked heels, particularly when dealing with severe cases of cracked feet!
These possible solutions for the treatment of cracked heels may include a process to remove dead skin from your dry, cracked heels, the prescription of antibiotics to deal with infections, or even the application of medical glue to treat cracked heels by holding the fissures together. They may also prescribe heel cups or other shoe inserts to reduce pressure on your heels when standing for long periods of time or walking around!
This can help to deal with your cracked heels; causes of cracked heels include pressure as well as hydration, and reducing the pressure on your feet can help significantly with preventing cracked heels, as well as corns and calluses. If you are ever in doubt about whether or not to visit a dermatologist or other doctor to talk about cracked heel issues, then book an appointment.
Your feet are important, and it is always better to be too cautious than not careful enough when dealing with a cracked heel, as this can cause more severe problems if left unchecked.
Expert Tip by Alexis DeSalva Kahler
There are a number of at-home treatments you can try to help with your cracked heels, but if the issue persists, seek advice from your doctor or a medical professional.
Conclusion
Always be wary of using medical treatments, and do not proceed without the approval of your doctor. Just because people with cracked heels share on Pinterest cracked heels stories of their “cures” does not mean that they are accurate representations!