Cracked Heels

[WinterWillow]

I work as an events planner and as such most of my time is spent on my feet, which has left me with terribly dry and cracked heels.

I have a wedding and family holiday coming up at the end of the month and I'd really like to get this sorted so that I can feel my best.

Any suggestions on the best product to use? Ideally I'd like something that's fast acting and that doesn't break the bank!

Thank You

Just be careful the following day if using moisturiser on your feet - it makes some sandals/flip flops/mules dangerously slippery if you don't wash it off in the morning or if you reapply it. I had a badly sprained ankle from sliding off my sandals, so beware.

Flexitol is the only one worth spending money on. Amazing stuff and worth the extra few pounds.

I repair cracked heels all day long as a foot specialist. The only way to properly remove a fissured heel is to remove the dead skin with some good blade work. If your heels are dry and fissured DO NOT rasp and rub them, this will dry them out and make them sore. If i were you to resolve the issue i would visit or have visit you a foot specialist who will remove the fissure for you then to apply flexitol heel balm daily. The process should be repeated with more bladework a month later and then the issue will be cleared providing you keep up with the moisturiser.

Urea is synthesised from ammonia and carbon dioxide, doesn't come from an animal source (urea from farm animals will be used as manure, great source of nitrogen). Don't know about the other ingredients.

I go to a podiatrist every 6 weeks as I find their blade removes the skin better than a file. Then flexitol every night for a few weeks.

I use a foot cream from boots which I love. It really softens the heels and is only about 3 quid.

I second Soap & Glory Heel Genius
Smells lovely too

I slather on Yellow Soft Paraffin before bed, wrap the offending area in cling film and then pop on a pair of socks. I suffer with Psoriasis on my hands and feet, and this is part of the routine given to me by the Consultant Dermatologist I was referred to.

Emmapeeler, aside from your feet feeling temporarily moisturised vicks vapour rub will do nothing. 1. Because it doesn't have a high urea content in order to penetrate the foot skin. And 2. Please don't band around its anti fungal properties because that is absolute rubbish, only advised by people who really don't have a clue about anti fungals and what works, but hey i guess it would give you shiny toenails!

Foot file dry skin first around heels then Flexitol. Or book a pedicure at a salon? They do a great job!

Missmouse, no and no sorry, for fissured heels, rasping will male them more sore, actually build up callus and not get to the root of the problem which requires bladework. And a beauty salon wont either because they can only rasp and exfoliate. OP, as I emphasise, go to a professional,it will prob cost around £35 to get it done properly. Problem solved.

@Madbengalmum

The ingredients of Camphor, eucalyptus oil, Thymol and Menthol are known to be antifungal.
They are natural, have no side effects and have been used for many years.

However, vapour rub softens my feet and if it works, that is all that matters.

I stand corrected I just thought I would mention something easily obtained that helps me, as I discovered my dry heel was due to a hard to treat fungal infection. But I am no medic or scientist, so if you say it is not anti-fungal I will not argue that it is.

I usually use an anti-fungal herbal cream which I get from from a herbalist. I use Vicks when I have run out of that and am waiting for more, with a similar effect (abating the spread and nice heels) but perhaps it is illusory!

I agree that for a straightforward case of cracked heel, Flextitol or similar is the business.

@LindaLa I always wondered if anyone else used it! Thymol is an ingredient in my herbal foot cream. I didn’t know it was in Vicks too. I did read that camphor helped.

My herbalist said also to just eat lots of thyme! And oregano.

@Emmapeeler

The antifungal bit is irrelevant to me but I do love going to bed with cold, tingly feet!

@LindaLa yes I love the cold tingly bit too

Neostrata Problem Dry Skin

Lindala, vicks vapour rub is not licensed for use as an anti fungal agent, nor is it proven effective as an anti fungal, it is a decongestant full stop. This week alone i have vistied patients who have wasted their time applying vicks to their toenails because they "read it in on the internet" and guess what they still have fungal nails. Until the condition is correctly treated with a topical anti fungal treatment it will not go away. If vicks was proven to work, why isnt it being marketed as such?

@madbengalmum what topical antI-fungal nail treatment do you recommend? The one I bought in Boots did not help and as a result made it worse. It was only as a last resort that I tried vapour rub which immediately helped. And it was only later on that I tried it on my heel. It’s no surprise to me that people use it and think it helps, though I agree it doesn’t seem to cure it and as mentioned, I am not an expert. (Sorry to go off topic as this thread is about heels).

@Madbengalmum

I have never said it's licensed but a tiny bit of research on the active ingredients will tell you they've been used as antifungal treatments for years.

It's irrelevant to me anyway, I put it on my feel to soften them.

It works for me and that is what matters to me.

I agree with CoconutMango. Wearing closed heeled shoes is what made the biggest difference for me.

My heels cracked so badly I couldn't walk on them, and I now have Flexitol on prescription - the giant tub mentioned above. Be really thorough, though, as I really notice when I miss a bit.

I've also been experimenting with putting hyralaunic (sp?) acid on them as it's worked really well on my face and that does seem to help too.

I found showering daily with soap helped without me doing anything else. However, lather your feet in a rich moisturiser or body butter, don't rub it in and shove socks on over them as you get into bed. Come morning, your feet will look and feel amazing!

Lindala, certain ingredients in a product do not necessarily make it fit for purpose do they! I for one have spent years working with anti fungals and i will tell you that apart from being an expensive way of treating your problem it is also not the best way. A tiny pot of decongestant will not do any good when compared to a very high urea content cream, the skin on your feet is very different to that of the rest of your body hence the need for urea. However, i am sure your vicks is great!

Emmapeeler, the reason for the topical treatment not working is down to the fact that nail fungus treatments are marketed to the general public as something that is just paint and go. Unfortunately, as in most of life there is more to it than that! Unless the nail is prepared correctly revealing the nail bed, which can then be treated with an anti fungal you will be just applying treatment to a dead nail and not getting to the source of the issue and wasting your money. A good foot specialist can do this for you and you can then self treat. The key with all issues is preparing the area,same with veruccas, too. Emtrix and Curanail are my suggestions,but the nail needs preparation first to get decent results.