A very common foot problem that mostly women face is crackedpainful heels. It can happen in both adults and children too but affects women.
It is not a very serious issue but leads to discomfort when person is barefoot. Sometimes the cracks often get too deep and lead to pain. Below discussed are some of the best home remedies for treating and preventing cracked heels.
Probable Causes for Cracked Heels:
It starts with a very dry, thickened scaly skin called callouses all over the rim of heel. On walking sole (fat) of the heel expands and swells. It can cause the callouses to break open and crack.
Factors that can Cause Cracked Heels are:
- Standing barefoot for long intervals.
- Walking barefoot and with open-back sandals
- Long, hot showers can damage skin
- Taking showers with harsh soaps which actually strip off the skin’s natural oils
- Wearing Shoes or footwear that don’t fit your foot properly and support your heels
- Dry skin because of climate like cold temperatures and low humidity
In case when we stop moisturizing our feet everyday it has a chance to dry out faster.
Medical Causes
In some cases a very high blood sugar level and poor blood circulation can result into dry skin. If your nerve is damaged it altogether prevents person from knowing that his feet are actually dry, cracked, and painful.
Other conditions leading to such a situation can be:
- Juvenile plantar dermatosis
- Psoriasis
- Palmoplantarkeratoderma
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Aging
- Vitamin deficiency
- Fungal infection
- Hypothyroidism
- Atopic dermatitis
Symptoms that you may experience include:
- Red, Inflamed Skin
- Ulceration
- A Loss Of Feeling In Your Heel
- Cellulitis
- Diabetic Foot Ulcer
- Flaky Skin
- Itching
- Severe Pain
- Bleeding
Home Treatments for Cracked Heels
Soak and exfoliate cracked heels and feet
Steps for soaking and exfoliating are:
- Soak the feet in lukewarm water which is a little soapy water for atleast15 to 20 minutes.
- Try to use a good quality clean loofah and remove and scrub the hard and thick skin with a foot scrubber or a pumice stone.
- Further pat your wet feet gently and dry them.
- After that apply a heel balm and a thick moisturizer to the cracked area.
- Finally apply petroleum jelly onfeet for locking in the moisture. Then wear a good pairof socks to avoid spreading and staining around.
Totally avoid scrubbing off the feet while it is dry and scaly. It increases the risk for already infected heels.
Liquid bandage
Application of a good quality liquid bandage to person’s crackedheels helps to seal and heal the wounded area and prevent further infections and cracking. It comes in the form of a spray and very good for treating and healing deep, bleeding and painful cracks.
Honey
Pure Honey works as a natural remedy for healing of cracked heels. Pure honey is a very good antimicrobial and antibacterial. It further helps to heal, moisturize and clean wounds. Honey to be used as a good foot scrub after soaking and a foot mask overnight.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil can be advised for dry painful skin, eczema and psoriasis. It helps our damaged skin to retain and restore moisture. It has very good anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties which heals the infected, cracked and bleeding heels.
Other Natural Remedies
Natural remedies include:
- Vinegar for foot soaking
- Olive or vegetable oil for moisturizing
- Shea butter for moisturizing
- Mashed bananas for moisturizing
- Paraffin wax for sealing in moisture
- Oatmeal mixed with oil for deep exfoliation
Neem leaves
Crush some good and clean Neem leaves and prepare a good fine paste. Then add three teaspoons of turmeric powder. Then apply this paste on the bleeding, deep cracks and finally leave it for healing for atleasthalf an hour. Following this clean and wash the feet with required quantityof lukewarm water and gently dry them.
Prepare a paste with rice flour, honey and apple cider vinegar. Mix all of them completely to form a good paste. You may add teaspoon of olive oil. Then Soak the feet in a little warm water for about eight to ten minutes. Gently scrub it with rice flour paste. Repeat this method till completely healed.
You can stir rose water and glycerin in 1:1 ratio. Massage well it on affected heels and feet everyday during night.
Change the kind of diet you take. Try to take more of the following to your diet:
- Ash gourd
- Tender coconut water
- Ghee
- Butter
- Fruits
- Cucumber
Avoid Below Food Items Completely
- Bitter gourd
- Chilly
- Mustard and mustard oil
- Deep fried food
- Spicy food
- Pepper