Warm Summer weather inspires many of us to wear flip-flops and walk barefoot. When your feet are exposed to air, it can cause dry skin on your feet, which will create calluses. The pressure of pounding your feet on the ground when you run can then lead to heel fissures, or cracks in the skin. They most often occur on your heels, but you can get them anywhere you have extremely dry skin. If you continue to run, the fissures can split open further and become deeper. When that happens, the fissures can bleed and expose the underlying tissue to infection. Plus they're really painful, which makes running downright impossible.
Want to know how you can prevent fissures? Then read more.
- Before you go to sleep, soak your feet in water or take a bath or shower. Then lather your feet up with intense moisturizing lotion, salve, or body butter, and wear socks over them.
- Wear socks and shoes that cover your feet to help keep the skin moist. I know this can be a pain during the Summer, but it will really help heal your cracked heels.
- To get rid of dry skin on your heels, try using a pumice stone in the shower. It gently sloughs off dead skin cells, eventually revealing softer, smoother skin. If you already have small cracks, just be careful not to irritate those areas.
- If you live in a dry area, try using a humidifier in your home to help keep moisture in the air.
- I know it's tempting to continue running, but if you have a deep fissure, pounding your feet will only make it worse. Switch to walking until your cracked heel is under control.
- If you already have a big crack, make an appointment with a podiatrist. They can help get rid of the hard, dry skin on your feet, so that your fissure can heal.
Drink lots of water throughout your day to help moisturize your body from the inside out.
Juan Antonio Lopez
Brian Atwood
LK Bennett
They hurt bad, in ballet we called them dance splits. We all got them on the balls of our feet. Some times they would bleed though our toe shoes, gross!
1Thanks so much for this advice! I danced for 15 years and my feet have always been tough and dry. I need to put all this together into a routine to fix them.
2My heels started cracking last summer. I healed them by moisturizing morning and night and wearing socks all the time until the cracks healed. I still use foot cream every night and wear socks to bed. I tried a couple different balms and creams; Flexitol Heel Balm worked the best for me.
3I found that cuticles balm really keeps heels smooth and moisturised.
4If you want to wear flip-flops.. you have to do the work. I have a routine that I do, nearly every week. I fill the bathtub about 3 inches deep with really warm water. I let them soak for at least 5 minutes. Then I scrub them with an exfoliating foot scrub, let them soak a little longer, and dry them off. Then I use the Ped Egg (or something similar) to get off all the excess dry skin & then moisturize and put on thin cotton socks. If you keep them in check, you won't end up getting fissures. I have had them before, and they hurt so badly. I also get real dry skin on my big toe and the ball of the foot directly under my big toe, so I try to keep up with this.. it keeps everything in check!
5Never had fissures but sounds like it really sux. At least I know what to do if I ever start having this problem.
6Thank you for this post!! I have a cracked heel right now but it's getting better. I got it from walking in uncomfortable shoes..
7thanks for info on the feet I have been working on mine for a while geuss it just takes time
8I use Eucerin Aquafor for my cracked heels and it works really well!
9U can use veseline petrolium jelly and wear socks to sleep in for a few nights or you can also try bag balm, found at drug store also.
10I saw this on Oprah from Dr. Oz and it really works - wipe your feet down with Stridex pads, then cover with moisturizer and the socks. Within two days, my feet were so smooth. The main ingredient in Stridex pads, salicylic acid really makes a difference. Dr. Oz explained why but I can't remember.
11I tried JOTA SOX, a new product that softens feet. I applied a thick moisturizer, followed by the JOTA SOX, (these are disposable socks made from latex and vinyl, then cotton socks. I wore these JOTA SOX for a couple hours at a time, for 3 days in a row. AMAZING! The disposable sock allowed all of the lotion to absorb into my foot. My dry heels are healed.
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