Athlete's foot or just dry heels?

[Baggyjumper0121]

Hi all

A week ago I noticed my right heel was looking quite dry and I put it down to just having warmer showers and not moisturising afterwards

Fastforward to 3 days ago and both of my heels are dry/itchy only at night. I wake up because of it and I think it happens when my feet get too hot while i'm sleeping which causes them to itch maybe

I ordered a cream online for dry heels starting with F (Flexitol i think) but wondering does this sound like Athlete's foot or can general dryness of both heels cause itching?

I am also 35 weeks pregnant so aware it could also be Obstetric Cholestasis but again because I can see the dryness on my heels I thought maybe not. I will mention to MW next week

Dry heels can be itchy. Athletes foot tends to be in between toes.

Try exfoliating the dead skin on your heels then slather on loads of moisturiser after. There are some really good moisture socks available to buy, or DIY it and before bed put your feet into socks after putting on lashings of moisturiser.

There is a saying “hear hooves think horses, not zebras”; you are more likely to have dry heels then have complications with pregnancy.

Sounds more like anxiety-related over-inflation of minor sensations than anything else.

Athletes foot is between the toes and the skin is visibly flaking off. Dry heels are normal. I find that using pumice or other abrasive tool after showering to keep the skin from thickening too much is better than using flexitol. The heel skin thickens correctly because that protects your feet. If the skin gets too thick it can crack with deep fault-lines down to the softer skin layer beneath which can be painful so flexitol softens it enough that the cracks don't form but you then lose the protection, hence abrasion being better.

Itching is neither of these issues but a bit of moisturiser should sort it out. It's more that your tired, stressed and anxious brain is fixating on something that feels controlable as a distraction from the much larger anxieties around your imminent giving birth. Perhaps some gentle yoga or mindfulness might help?

Ah thank you both for letting me know itchy heels can be from dryness rather than Athlete's foot. Saved me from buying something for it when it's clearly not that! I have done a foot soak today and will exfoliate using a Pumice stone. Will have a look at the moisture socks too!

I agree I have definitely been anxious so that could be a huge contributing factor. I have started to do some gentle yoga as of 2 days ago so will keep up with that. Thank you!