Footcare for cracked heels. Warning- picture!

[Daisydreaming1]

Hi all. I’m absolutely desperate. My heels are cracking constantly, all year round. No matter what I do they split and bleed and are so sore. I’ve tried a million different creams. All the foot exfoliants including the expensive electric ones. I’m at a loss. I used to go to a clinic to have my feet done but it made no difference so I stopped going. Does anyone have any recommendations?? They’re so sore 😩

What sort of shoes are you wearing? Something that worked well for me was using an intense repair hand cream (I used the lidl equivalent of Neutrogena) and then put my socks on my feet overnight. Coupling that with filing away the hard skin worked well.

Boots sell one, SCS I think it is? White tube, blue lid. You need something with Urea in and don't file them, it makes it worse. Mine were in a terrible state but I applied the cream morning and night and wore socks after applying

Flexitol

Another vote for Flexitol Heel Balm. Apply it before bed and wear thin cotton socks.

This sorted out my hooves in just a couple of days and mine were worse than yours.

Don’t apply on broken skin though.

I agree with flexitol or similar and wearing socks as much as possible. Mine always go worse in summer when wearing sandals too much. If you are wearing shoes year round though it might be worth going to your GP.

I think within reason it doesn’t massively matter what you use- just any really thick cream, ideally with urea- but it’s about the regularity. I’ve had to accept that unless I lather on cream religiously every morning my feet look awful. I found it easier to remember in the morning somehow and they’re transformed- and were worse than yours 😶

You need some of those fish that eat your feet. They were everywhere at one point but I think people went off it.

You need the proper flexitol that is 25% urea.

not the piddly little types the great big tubs of it
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexitol-500-g-Heel-Balm/dp/B007XJN9DQ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=25%25+urea+foot+cream+flexitol&qid=1684688880&sr=8-5

use it religiously every night. Once a week soak your feet for AT LEAST 10 mins and then remove all of the dead skin using a pumice/ heel skin remover.

some like these https://makeup.uk/product/545918/?gclid=CjwKCAjwgqejBhBAEiwAuWHioE0Gfhenm0I2785fMNVTId8rz4K_hN70Rm-39EA1Es9UW4upRKrDQhoC9YcQAvD_BwE

are best - you rub soap on them before using them to remove the dead skin.

wear socks/ slippers at all times when not showing your feet off.

Try the Margaret dabs foot file. It's expensive, but worth it, it's better than any other one I have ever used. It seems to keep the hard skin at bay for longer.

That and a cream with 25% urea applied religiously.

Flexitol that diabetics use . Fantastic stuff

I would try an antifungal treatment on that before doing anything else.
Use a spray in your shoes.
When you use any kind of treatment on your feet, don't touch your feet then put your fingers back in the container. Use a pump or tube.
Your skin looks inflamed and sore.
If the antifungal treatment doesn't work try and see a podiatrist.

Use foot cream after every bath or shower, but once a week slather on foot cream then put plastic bags over your feet and thin cotton socks. Put your feet on a hot water bottle or heated wheat bag for about 10 minutes.

Check in with your GP that there isn’t inflammation or infection that needs treating.

Other than that for me it is moisturising day and night and wearing thin cotton socks at night.

You also might need to wear a soft pair of plimsolls while it heals - the kind with thin flexible uppers and a wider fit than you usually have. Try fitflop or Clark’s.

Cerave foot cream worked brilliantly for me.

Have you looked into dietary causes?

I suffer too OP and have had cracks even worse than that. I can empathise with the pain, sometimes I could barely walk. I too swear by Flexitol 25% urea. I got a few pairs of little cotton foot socks from The Body Shop and every night I lathered the cream on thick and wore the socks all night. It does wonders to soften the skin.

Do you drink plenty of water? Being dehydrated can make this problem worse.

These two. Top tip I learned on Mumsnet and am very grateful for. Still apply the cream a couple of times a week for maintenance and use the sponge whenever I have a bath (as opposed to a shower).

Neutrogena Norwegian formula foot cream is absolutely amazing - I’d have heels like yours again if I didn’t use it daily

My feet improve when I cut out processed sugar. Noticeably better when I'm eating better

My go to is hydrocolloid dressings (specifically I use Duoderm Extra thin hydrocolloid dressings). Leave on for a few days - they lock moisture in and it heals so quickly. The pain will be gone within an hour as the hydrocolloid fills the gaps. I have Palmoplantar Psoriasis and used to get huge cracks in my feet. Someone on a Psoriasis forum mentioned this, and it's been life changing for me. I tried everything, nothing worked, and I've now been using these for about 10 years.

I get mine on prescription but you can buy them over the counter at Boots (they will sell a single dressing) and they come in loads of different sizes. These dressings are very flexible and can be cut to size, and I found a document online about wound dressing that explained how to fit them around heels which was very useful. Here's the link - it's from 2007 but I found it really useful. It's worth a try - a single dressing would be enough to give it a go.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=duoderm+hydrocolloid+dressings&ref=choice_dp_b

I forgot to say it's like adding a new layer to your skin because it's so flexible but sticks well. Once the hydrocolloid melts into the cracks the pain stops - the relief is indescribable.

Maybe it’s an obvious one and you already tried but Sudocream applied at bedtime works a treat for me.

Sorry typo - Sudocrem

Agree with advice from pp on socks but also Pedisalve from marble hill is amazing. Slather on at night, socks etc. Then pumice stone once a week after a 10 mins soak.

This
you need a cream which contains urea.