Help me rescue my feet!

[SummitOfMountWashmore]

My feet have been used and abused over the years. Nothing weird 🤨 just things like long distance hikes, marathons, ultramarathons. Never done anything with them other than clip the remaining toenails (lost a couple along the way) and give them a wash in the shower.

I have really dry, cracked heels and one of them has recently split open. It's painful! What do I need to do to give these poor old trotters some TLC? I don't think I could withstand a podiatrist, they are exceptionally ticklish!

I can understand that it's painful!

I am not an expert, but I would moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! With any cream or lotion, but preferably foot cream.

I hope people here have more advice for you! Good luck!

Loads of moisturiser, wrap loosely in cling film and warm socks on top. Leave overnight if you can. I do this semi regularly, more so this time of year when mine also split and even bleed at times 😪

I’d give the non cracked bits a good file - with something like this

https://amzn.to/48UAB1F

then for the cracks a cream with urea

https://amzn.to/3SnGG0U

possibly slather it on and then put your feet in sandwich bags.

You need a foot cream with urea in it to be effective, put it on nightly. Flexitol or CCS foot care cream. Use a foot file on your heels in the shower once or twice a week.

Urea cream 25% used after a warm soak and rough dry so your skin is still slightly damp but not wet. Really massage it in then put old cotton socks on. Keep these for your foot cream application.

Use a foot file a couple of times a week on dry skin but don’t go mad and don’t saw to and fro. Go in one direction only not pulling against the fissure.

See a Podiatrist and tell them your feet are very sensitive they’ll use a heavier touch not painful but pressure. It’s the light touch that makes your sensitive feet jump.
Us Podiatrist s are nice people and. We have Seen It All Before 😀

I've been using CCS cream for over a year, and my previously dry and cracked feet are now smooth and moisturised.

Every couple of weeks I give my heels a going-over with a pedi file too.

Urea 20% cream by Grocerism on Amazon is amazing stuff and only £8.99.

A trip to a podiatrist then up keep at home with files and moisturiser, hard, dry skin comes back quickly just from the pressure of walking around. socks and shoes/trainers help rather being barefoot or wearing shoes without socks.

Another recommendation for urea! Honestly, I had exactly the same thing - literally look like my heel split in half! But I used a really cheap heel crack repair cream from Home Bargains actually - I found anything worked as long as it had urea in it - and after a couple weeks, all repaired and as if it was never there!

Thanks everyone!

Seems that urea is definitely the way to go. Is this something I'd use daily (nightly)? Every few days? Once a week?

You've all made me feel much better and more optimistic. I was expecting chemical peels and to be sloughing skin off around the house like some manky old iguana or something!

Be careful how you deal with those deep cracks, it's easy to do damage when trying to get the dead skin off once it's got to that point. If you can go to a podiatrist even once to start it off that will be for the best.

Thank you, just going to soak and moisturise until they've softened and give it time to heal (currently doing the same with my poor hands too!) before I go to town with a cheese grater. Just placed a Boots order which should arrive over the weekend.

Parmesan anyone? 😆

Like you, my feet get hammered by hiking and running. When I had Covid for the first time in December, I got really dehydrated and possibly as a result my heels were an absolute shitshow.
I bought O'Keeffes Healthy Feet cream which cleared up the worst of the problem really quickly and now I smear a small bit on each heel in the morning as 'maintenance'. It's wonderful stuff.

Seconding the recommendation above for O’Keefe’s foot cream. It is the daddy.

Heel fissures are a pain! I've tried a variety of methods over the years including a callous shaver and definitely do not use them. I sliced my feet several times- leave that to the podiatrists.

For once it's healed:
I got an electric foot file from Amazon and it is amazing! Find it better dry than wet.

A good peel is the Oh K! Apple foot peel. I got good results with this and a good peel.

Don't use the cheap tea tree ones from b and m!

Thanks for the maintenance tips! I use the O'Keefe's working hand balm stuff for my hands which always take a hammering in the winter and it's like magic

Warm foot soak with a few drops of baby oil in the water.

Then slather on the moisturiser and some snuggly socks (eg those thick thermal ones you can get).

You'll feel a massive difference after just one soak but I'd imagine it'd be beneficial to do it every now and then.

I've just inspired myself to do this tonight! My heels are, too, cracked and embarrassing.

I spend a lot of time sat at my desk glued to the computer so I've been soaking them whilst I work (on WFH days!!) and its making a difference already. The fissure is healing nicely thankfully.

You're right though, It is embarrassing. I am always barefoot unless I'm out but always have socks on. At the beach I'll wear beach shoes, and when I go swimming I just hurry to/from the pool as quickly as possible!!

Flexitol Heel Balm is brilliant. Then remember to moisturise your feet - do it when you go to bed and in winter put socks on.

Foot specialist here, nothing you can buy on the shelf will repair a fissure. It needs removing by a foot health professional or podiatrist. Treat yourself to a treatment and from then on continually moisturise with flexitol heel balm. You cannot repairthe damage with graters,masks or creams only a proper treatment will remove this. Anything else is a sticking plaster, and soaking them will only dry them out further.

I'm coming back to this thread as I wanted to say a great big thank you for the urea cream recommendations.

I bought the Grocerism brand cream with 40% urea, 2% salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid from Amazon.

I slather the affected areas at night, wrap them in cling film and put a pair of socks on.

I apply it as a usual cream once during the day, too. Just over a week later and the skin on my heels is so much better. I never thought I'd see this much of an improvement and I'm delighted!

Flexitol with urea will get rid of the crack, every night before bed.