by Jennifer Kirkman

Created on: September 13, 2009

Foot Care Causes and treatments for cracked heels

When your heels are cracked in your feet they are all scaly, and even bleed if the cracks are really deep. This is actually what we call fissures.

A person that has cracked heels has growth of skin that is hard. This is on the edges of your heels usually.

If the fissures are really deep, you'll probably have pain when you walk on your feet.

The skin is discolored in that area.

The areas may be itchy, though not all the time.

The skin will not only crack, but peel around the heels.

So the next question is, why do people have cracked heels?

To answer that, is to say there are a number of causes for it. People have very dry skin that causes breakdowns and fissures on the heel. This is one of the most frequent of causes. Other things could be, (1) diabetes, (2) obesity, (3) you are flat-footed, (4) You have heel spurs, (5) Too much standing time, (6) psoriasis, (7) Althlete's foot is possible, (8) you have high arches, (9) your sweat glands are not functioning normally, and (10) footwear problems.


There are number of things you can do in order to treat cracked heels. Using a pumice stone in the bath often helps. Applying a good moisturizing cream for the feet is another great thought. A really good suggestion that will definitely help in treating cracked heels is the application of Vaseline to your feet. Apply Vaseline or petroleum to each foot liberally. Next, put socks on your feet before going to bed. When you wake up, take off the socks and you'll notice that your heels are as smooth like new.

Avon has some good foot care products on the market. They have a really good foot soak which is very conditioning for the feet. Apply this to a foot tub with lukewarm water and soak for 15 minutes. Also on their market is Overnight Renewing Foot Cream. Apply this with socks as you would the Vaseline and your feet will smooth out nicely around the heels.

Another way to prevent fissures on the heels is to wear proper footwear. Wearing some orthotic types of shoes may help to prevent this problem.

Another good home remedy for your cracked heel problem is using lemon juice. Pour some lemon juice in the foot tub and soak for about 10 minutes or so. You should do this repeatedly one time a week for several weeks until you see results.

Also, seeing a podiatrist is a good idea if you have any number of problems that relate to the feet. This is true especially for those with chronic diseases like diabetes.

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