Are you embarrassed to flaunt those open sandals in public? Are you tired of showing off your heels in front of people? Are you suffering from cracked heels? According to various studies and research, it has been found out that 80% of people across the world suffers from cracked heels. We often take good care of our face, our hands and our feet. But the heels are ignored in most cases.
If you are in a mess because of this problem, fret not we have got you covered for how to heal cracked heels. Cracked heels generally happen because of dry skin or other hygiene problems. Read through the article to get yourself acquainted with the answers for the query of how to heal cracked heels. To begin with, let’s unfold the question of what causes cracked heels?
What Causes Cracked Heels?
The biggest reason for the problem of cracked heels is dryness. We often forget to moisturise our heels, and in turn, they get damaged seriously. With extensive damage, the heels can get sore, and bleeding can occur. However, there are a number of triggers involved in the process of cracked heels. Here we have listed all the triggers that will help you understand the question of what causes cracked heels.
1. Winters
Winters are harsh. The cold and dry air during winters is not good for skin – especially the skin of your feet. The cold season and dryness go hand in hand. It is important to moisturise the heels again and again during winters so that the dryness is prevented.
2. Dehydration
Water plays an important role in keeping your body moisturised. Your body needs tons of water to keep itself hydrated. If the skin is hydrated well, dryness of the skin will be at bay. Your feet will be benefited for sure if you drink sufficient water.
3. Hot Shower
Extra hot water proves to be harsh for your skin. It has been proven that hot showers absorbs all the natural oils from your skin and causes dryness. If you are in the hot shower for too long, you will end up with dry and cracked heels. It is advised that you should use only lukewarm water for bathing and cleaning.
4. Moisturising
It is really important to add in moisture every now and then by using good body lotion and not ignoring your heels. We usually moisturise upper body skin but often ignore our feet and heels. This ignorance results in making feet skin dry and cause cracks.
5. Scrubbing Your Heels
Scrubbing helps in eliminating the dirt and dust from your body but make sure not to overdo it. If you will scrub your heels all the time, you will end up with dry skin leading to cracked heels.
6. Diabetes
Diabetes is considered as a major cause for cracked heels. It is utterly important to take up good care of your heels if you are suffering from this medical condition.
In conclusion, we have given you the major factors that contribute to the condition of cracked heels. Wrap your head around these factors, and you will be able to understand the answer behind the question, what causes cracked heels.
Heel Fissure
Heel fissure is a condition in which the skin is extensively dry and sore as well. It so happens that the outer layer of your heel is too dry. In such circumstances, the heels try to expand, but they are not able to because of the plaster like skin. Thus, heels develop cracks, and without appropriate care, it begins to bleed. Once the bleeding starts, the cracks are vulnerable to skin infection and bacteria as well.
How to Heal the Cracked Heels?
Cracked heels can be easily treated by way of home remedies. Looking at these home remedies, you will realise that your kitchen has got loads of elements for home remedies for the purpose of how to fix cracked heels. Here we have curated a list of ways that can help you out in this process and will answer all your queries regarding how to heal cracked heels?
1. Listerine and Vinegar
Listerine contains alcohol that eliminates bacteria and cures fungus. Whereas, vinegar helps in the softening of skin, and makes it easy to clean. All you need to do is make a concoction of a cup of Listerine, a cup of vinegar and two cups of water. Soak your feet in the mixture for 15 minutes and then scrub off the dead skin using a pumice stone. Then moisturise it with a lotion.
2. Rice flour, Honey and Vinegar
The antiseptic properties of honey help in the process of healing cracked heels, and rice flour exfoliates the skin. Further, the vinegar in the solution softens the dead skin, for easy exfoliation. You can easily make a scrub by adding three tablespoons of rice flour, a tablespoon of honey and drops of vinegar. Just immerse your feet in hot water for 10 minutes and then use the scrub to exfoliate the dead skin. Repeat the process every alternate day.
3. Ripe Bananas
Bananas are known for their moisturising properties as they contain vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Just prepare a paste of some ripe bananas and rub it on to your skin. Let it sit for 20 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water. You can continue doing this every night before dozing off to sleep for two weeks.
4. Vegetable Oil
Vegetable oils are full of vitamin A, D, and E. It can be absorbed by the skin easily, and it nourishes the skin cells. You can do this every day before going to bed. Clean your heels and then apply a fat layer of vegetable oil on your heels. Wear socks and go off to sleep.
5. Vaseline Mixed With Lemon Juice
Vaseline is a kind of petroleum jelly that helps in providing moisture to chapped skin. Whereas, lemon juice will help in the process of peeling the skin so that the regrowth of new cells takes place. For this process, just inject in some drops of lemon juice in the vaseline. Before the application of this blend, dunk your feet in warm water for 10 minutes. Pat them dry, apply the mixture and then wear woollen socks on top of it. Wash of the blend in the morning. You can follow this process regularly.
Cracked Heels Treatment
In case the heels are severely damaged and are bleeding, you need to get them checked at a podiatrist immediately. Here are some of the treatments listed below for cracked heels treatment.
1. Debridement
Under this process, the doctor will try to cut off the dry skin. It is recommended not to try this stunt at home using scissors or blade, as it might lead to excessive elimination of hard skin.
2. Cover-Ups
Due to bleeding of the skin around the heels, the doctor might use a strap or a bandage to cover it up, in order to restrict the movement of the skin.
3. Special Tissue Glue
This cracked heel treatment might be required to hold the edges of the cracks together so that the recovery from cracked heels happens quickly.
Keep this in mind, that these cracked heel treatments should be taken into account in cases of severe damages and there is no visible improvement by way of home remedies.
In a nutshell, we have given you entire information regarding your question of how to fix cracked heels. If you have cracked heels, use these remedies to cure it and then start taking care of them regularly. Little care will go a long way. The best part about home remedies is that you won’t be taking in any chemical inside your body as compared to medical pills. In addition to this, these home remedies for the query of how to fix cracked heels will prove to be really helpful in the long run.
Read Next –Best & Very Effective Home Remedies for Dry Cracked Hands!
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Thank you for sharing great tips