Cracked heels: causes and treatment at home

Pink, smooth heels are the dream of women and girls of any age, but not everyone can achieve it even with good care of the skin of their feet. Cracks that appear on the lateral surface of the feet not only spoil the appearance, but also cause a persistent feeling of discomfort due to pain when standing on the feet for a long time. The pain, although not severe, can ruin your mood.

Dry skin, decreased elasticity, increased proliferation of the superficial stratum corneum, poor regeneration of the epidermis are factors that contribute to the appearance of cracked heels.

The cause of the appearance may be a disease, and not necessarily a skin one. Very often this problem occurs in people with high blood sugar levels.

An equally common cause is endocrine disorders: anemia, hypovitaminosis. Failure of metabolic processes in the body leads to loss of elasticity of the skin and its cracking.

Lack of hygiene, the presence of microdamages on the skin is a loophole for infection. Fungus is the most common skin infection, affecting the skin of the feet, disrupting its structure and reducing its regenerative abilities.

Another skin disease, dermatitis, is included in the list of causes leading to cracking of the stratum corneum. It is dangerous primarily due to secondary infections, to which inflamed skin becomes more susceptible.

Cracks can also appear in an absolutely healthy person. They can be provoked by:

• illiterate use of skin care products;
• frequent use of abrasive materials to remove the stratum corneum;
• wearing shoes made of artificial materials, tight, and the wrong size (large);
• long walks;
• heavy physical work performed on the feet.

The correct solution to the problem is to visit a doctor, undergo a full examination with all the necessary tests, and treat the body as a whole. If you are not ready to spend time visiting a clinic or simply don’t have it, you can treat cracks at home.

AAndE − vitamins for skin. Summer is the time when fresh vegetables and fruits can fully satisfy their needs. Include vegetable salads in your diet. No need for complicated recipes.

A simple salad of tomatoes and sweet bell peppers, dressed with olive or camelina oil, sprinkled with lemon juice and sprinkled with herbs, will bring more benefits.

Omega-3 will help the skin. Be sure to use:

• seafood:
• nuts;
• pumpkin seeds;
• sesame seeds;
• all types of unrefined vegetable oils.

Refusal of junk food. A noticeable improvement in the condition of the skin of the feet can be noticed after a short period of time after quitting smoking, fried foods, strong alcohol, canned vegetables and fruits, and fast food.

Water balance– the basis for good skin regeneration and the normal course of all metabolic processes. It is especially important to drink enough fluids (the norm is 2 liters per day) in the summer in the heat and when working in an office equipped with an air conditioning system.

Deep cracks that form on the heels are very painful. Let's figure out how to help ourselves. It is important to reduce pain and prevent foot infections. Infection can enter through deep cracks.

In the treatment of deep cracks, ointments sold in pharmacies are best. Ready-made ointments are dosage forms consisting of a base (fat) and a medicinal substance.

They should be applied to cleanly washed and dry heels one to two times a day. The quantity is specified in the instructions that come with the drug. If the damage is very deep and cannot be washed well with water, it is worth treating it with hydrogen peroxide.

If the heel problem is caused by a fungus, antifungal agents are prescribed:

• Nizoral;
• Mycoterbin;
• Terbizil.

Bonding a crack with medical glue is an original solution to the problem. This unique recipe can be used if there is no inflammation or secondary infection. Wash your feet thoroughly and dry. Apply the glue pointwise along the entire length of the damage.

When dry, it firmly sticks the edges together. After 7 days, the wounds will heal. Soften the stratum corneum with warm foot baths. Use pumice to remove it. Use pumice correctly. Steam your legs. Wipe them dry. Drive the pumice stone not across, but along the cracks.

After finishing treating the heels, be sure to rinse your feet and blot them with a napkin or towel. Squeeze a little cream onto damaged skin and rub in lightly. If you are not lazy and perform these simple procedures for several days, the skin on your heels will become smooth again.

It is easy to prepare an ointment for treating heels at home. For the base you can take:

• petrolatum;
• badger fat;
• pork fat

You can take vegetables, herbs or fruits as a medicinal component of the ointment. You can adopt several simple, affordable and very effective recipes.

The healing properties of carrots are well known. It also helps with skin problems. For the base, take 100 g of pork fat. Wash, peel and grate the carrots. It should be about 100 g. Place the fat in a small container and place in a water bath.

When it becomes liquid add chopped carrots. Keep the mixture in the bathhouse for another 15 minutes, then remove, cool, and strain using cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. Pour into a glass container and close with a lid. Place in the refrigerator. Apply to your heels before going to bed. Before doing this, wash your feet, steam them well in warm water, and wipe dry.

The beneficial properties of calendula, badger fat, and celandine are used in the treatment of various diseases. If you prepare an ointment based on them, it can be used to treat cracked heels. You will need:

• badger fat - 50 ml;
• dried and crushed calendula flowers - 1 tsp;
• dry celandine, crushed – 1 tsp.

Everything you need to prepare the ointment can be bought at the pharmacy. Prepare the ointment in a water bath. While the fat is melting, pour a small amount of boiling water over the herbs. After a couple of minutes, you can add them to the liquid fat.

The oil takes 30 minutes to prepare. Do not bring the mixture to a boil. At the end of this time, be sure to strain the medicinal fat and pour it into a container with a tight lid. A refrigerator is suitable for storage. Warm the ointment before applying.

Baths help soften the stratum corneum, relieve inflammation, and speed up the healing process of heels. They need to be done daily until the problems go away. There are many simple and interesting recipes that can be alternated.

To prepare foot baths, they often use:

• sea ​​salt;
• dry white wine;
• apple cider vinegar;
• infusions or decoctions of herbs;
• starch.

Sea salt– good antiseptic. Baths with sea salt soften the skin faster and are easily removed with pumice. Add 100 g of coarse sea salt and 1 tbsp to a bowl of warm water. baking soda.

The duration of the therapeutic bath is 15 minutes. After this time, dry your feet with a towel and lubricate with ointment from a pharmacy or prepared by yourself.

Dry white wine ( 1 tbsp.) pour into a glass container, add 1 tbsp. l. dry linden blossom. Place the composition in a water bath and heat to a boil. Strain. Dilute the pure decoction with 1 liter. warm water. Place your feet in a basin with wine mixture and hold for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, rub your feet with a hard washcloth and put them back in the bath. Repeat the steps until the medicinal composition has cooled down. When finishing the procedure, wipe your feet dry and lubricate the skin with cream or any vegetable oil.

Apple cider vinegar You can simply add it to a bowl of warm water. For 1 l. water 2-3 tbsp. l. vinegar. Vinegar helps fight fungus, helps soften the skin, and speeds up the process of exfoliating dry scales.

Herbal infusions or decoctions can be prepared from several types of herbs. Help with cracked heels:

• Oak bark;
• calendula;
• sage;
• chamomile;
• St. John's wort.

Stick to the proportion: 1 l. water, 1 tbsp. l. dry herbs or mixtures of herbs. Pour a liter of boiling water over the herb and keep it on the fire for almost 30 minutes. Keep the foot infusion cooled to a comfortable temperature until it cools completely, this is about half an hour. Wipe your feet dry, massage, apply cream.

Starch take potato . Dissolve 1 tbsp. l. in 1 l. warm water. This bath softens rough skin and heals cracks of any depth. The effect will be noticeable after a week of use. The duration of one bath is at least 20 minutes. To get a greater effect, instead of water, you can take a decoction of herbs:

• chamomile (1 tsp);
• calendula (1 tsp);
• St. John's wort (1 tsp).

Smooth heels at home: video

Exfoliation is an important part of heel care. The process of removing (exfoliating) dead skin layers is called peeling. You don’t need to do it often, once a week is enough.

To remove hard skin from your heels you can use:

• pumice;
• pedicure grater;
• scrub.

Pumice of natural origin is preferable for heels. It does not cause allergic reactions and does not crumble. After use, it should be rinsed and dried. Store in a dry place. Pathogenic microbes can multiply in wet pumice.

Pedicure graters are easy to use and easy to clean. Scrubs are commercially available and easy to make yourself. The easiest way is to use medium-fraction sea salt, mixed with liquid toilet soap until it becomes thick sour cream. Rub the scrub into your heels in a circular motion for 5 minutes.

After peeling, rinse your feet. The water must be warm. Dry the skin thoroughly with a towel. Before applying ointment or cream, it is necessary to treat the cracks.

Hydrogen peroxide should definitely be in your home medicine cabinet. This is an excellent antiseptic; it is convenient for treating small wounds, abrasions and cracked heels. Pharmacies sell ready-to-use perhydrol (3.3%). The antiseptic liquid just needs to be poured into the cracks. It does not cause pain, foams upon contact with the skin, and removes remaining dirt and infection. Blot your heels with a clean napkin.

The compress can be kept on the heels all night, or just 20 minutes. Any option will benefit the skin of your feet. You can use the most unusual products.

For example, after eating a banana, you don’t need to throw away the peel. Apply the inner part of the peel to the damaged part of the heel. Wrap your foot in cling film and put on a sock. You need to keep this compress for at least 10 hours, so it is more convenient to do it at night. In the morning, unwrap and wash your leg. Make banana compresses for a week.

A quick 30-minute compress can be made from lemon. Cut one medium-sized lemon into 2 parts. Apply the halves to your heels and sit for 30 minutes, after which rinse your feet and lubricate them with cream.

How not to make a mistake when choosing a heel cream. You always need to look at the composition. The composition should include:

• urea, it moisturizes the skin and softens keratinized areas;
• lanolin nourishes and restores at the cellular level;
• lactic acid moisturizes;
• natural oils for moisturizing;
• vitamins (E, B5).

For deep cracks in the heels, creams help well:

• Bepanten;
• Pantoderm;
• D-panthenol.

Coping with the problem is not easy, but by approaching its solution comprehensively, you can get rid of cracks in a short time. Everything is important: nutrition, proper shoes, fluid intake, personal hygiene. This and daily foot care using ready-made cosmetics and medicinal products will certainly give a good result - smooth, pink heels.