The season for sandals and all things open is upon us and that means your feet are going to be out on display. But what happens if you suffer with cracked heels? There are a lot of remedies out there and as Podiatrists, we are qualified to say that a lot of them are a complete waste of time! So what really works?
Cracked heels occur when callus or hard skin builds to the point where the skin is no longer flexible and therefore splits. This condition not only looks unsightly but can be extremely painful. Hard skin usually forms when there are repetitive shearing forces over an area and the skin builds as a protective response. Other causes of excessive skin buildup include systemic diseases such as psoriasis where there is an increased turnover of skin. But how do you effectively treat cracked heels?
Like any problem, to effectively treat it you need to understand why it has formed and treat the cause. The most common causes for cracked heels include –
- Poor footwear choices- Consistent use of open backed shoes contributes to shearing and therefore callus build up
- Poor biomechanics- Short calf muscles (gastrocnemius) and either very high arched or flat feet can increase shearing and stress forces to the skin
- Other systemic causes- Diseases such as psoriasis and eczema can cause an increase of skin build up which can crack around the heel
If there are no systemic diseases at play, then treatment of cracked heels should involve a consultation with a Podiatrist. They can effectively explain the causes of the excessive callus and devise a treatment plan. Effective treatment usually involves the following:
- Sharp debridement of the excessive callus which will allow the crack or fissure to heal properly
- A Steri-strip or dressing if the fissure is deep and needs protection while healing
After debridement of the callus, ongoing use of a keratolytic (acidic) cream will ensure that the skin remains flexible and less likely to split again. We recommend the use of a non-greasy cream as it is more user friendly and less likely to ruin your shoes!
Our cream of choice at the moment is MD Formulations which contains glycolic acid and is non-greasy. The use of a rasp or file is also helpful in controlling callus. However, excessive rasping will cause an increase of callus buildup and therefore you should not use it more than once/fortnight.
So get to work on your heel problem before Spring/Summer hits. There are a lot of beautiful sandals on the way…
E&E
