Imagine a dry, parched, desert landscape. The ground is hard, with dust or sand covering a lot of it. In some places, you may even find the ground has split and cracked in the heat because it has grown brittle without moisture
Imagine a dry, parched, desert landscape. The ground is hard, with dust or sand covering a lot of it. In some places, you may even find the ground has split and cracked in the heat because it has grown brittle without moisture. The ground isn’t the only thing that becomes cracked and brittle without enough water. Dry skin can do the same thing, creating problems like heel fissures on your feet.
Cracks in the Heels
Skin needs moisture to stay flexible and withstand pressure or friction. Proper hydration allows the tissue to stretch and move. When the skin is dry, it stiffens and grows inflexible. Instead of moving or stretching under pressure, it splits. Your feet are particularly susceptible to this. Normally your skin is covered in oil glands to make sure its surface stays moisturized. Your feet, however, do not have these glands. Instead, your lower limbs rely on sweat to hydrate the surface of the feet.
Sweat is functional, but it isn’t as effective at moisturizing as your natural oils. As a result, your feet tend to be dry. Outside factors and medical conditions can exacerbate this dryness. Your heels are prone to building up calluses, which also tend to be dry and stiff. Pressure from standing and walking forces your skin to stretch. If it’s too hard and inflexible, it can crack instead, creating heel fissures.
The Problem with Broken Skin
In some cases, this is simply a cosmetic issue. Cracked skin is unsightly, but not always a problem. In some cases, however, it can create real heel pain and put you at risk for foot health complications. Your skin will be red and rough or flaky. Often it’s itchy. The fissures may bleed if they split deeply enough. Deep splits may make standing or walking around uncomfortable. Cracks make your feet more vulnerable to infections, too.
Many different environmental factors play a role in developing cracked heels. Excessively hot showers, hard soaps, cold weather, low humidity, aging, and spending long periods of time in the sun all draw moisture out from the surface of the skin. Medical conditions can predispose you to the problem as well. Diabetes, thyroid disease, psoriasis, and eczema, among others, also dry out your skin.
Moisture to Heal the Heels
Fortunately, dealing with heel pain from dry skin is fairly simple, though it can take a little time. Mark Gasparini, D.P.M., will examine your feet to help determine what led to your heel fis