Horrifically cracked heel, help!

[TTCNumber3uk]

I have no idea how they've ended up like this but I am incredibly ashamed as well as in a lot of pain.
Does anyone know how I can fix this and also what it is and what's caused it? I'm desperate to get my heels healthy again but at the moments there's literal chunks of them missing

Any cream with Urea in it, Flexitol is great so is O'Keefe's. Be warned that a podiatrist can be £50+ depending where you live. Lots of soaking and personally I'd avoid a scalpel as easy to take off too much and end up in a lot of pain. I like the Soap and Glory foot file.

This isn't normal see a podiatrist and also get your GP to test for diabetes

I have found they do soften it up (I have BioSculpture), but if I leave it alone it hardens again. Wouldn't risk it on a lovely fresh pedicure though, would wait to near the end.

I'm with the "Flexitol is your friend " brigade. Brilliant product.

I think it's worth while having a proper pedicure from a professional 2 or 3 times a year just to keep feet under control.....

Footner!

Yes, Margaret Dabbs for me too. Flexitol didn't work that well for me. And the Margaret Dabbs one smells lovely!

Is it this one?

I used this one, off Ocado:

https://www.ocado.com/products/bare-feet-conditioning-foot-cream-539225011

This can be so painful and is very common. Whilst I agree with the cracked heel cream and the benefits to using it, can I suggest an increase in your daily water intake and maybe a chat with you GP for a health check and some blood tests. Cracked heals can be a sign of some medical conditions and its best to get these ruled out.

Get a foot cream with urea in it, as high percentage as you can find. A glass file is better than the cheese grater style ones. Personally I find it works far better on dry skin.

Once you are on top on of it.
urea cream 20 or 40%

I found Margaret dabs lame tbh.

i get urea cream from altruist.
It’s cheap and very effective

Person with constantly sore feet due to a disability- Flexitiol applied regularly. It is the way to go. GP will only prescribe similar and Flexitol is the best.

You poor thing that looks so sore!

Someone already suggested O'Keefee I use their hand cream it's excellent. DH who is a farmer also uses their hand cream when his hands get sore and cracked in winter

You said you live in sandles/ flip flops. I did too for about 3 yrs when I was living in a much warmer country! My heels got so dry and I had such a build up of hard skin I had to use a really sharp blade to gently cut off the dead/ dry skin

I have had this for years and years. I agree with Flexitol or any other cream that is at least 10% Urea, as well as a calus knife, but a game changer for me has been going to a podiatrist/chiropodist. It costs about £40 but they take off far more of the skin than you can yourself, and it's like walking on air when you leave the office.

This is different to a standard pedicure you would get at a salon I guess?

Agree with this! I wore Keen sandals for years as my indoor/outdoor shoes as they were so comfortable, but I had terrible cracked heels. Tried all sorts of files/pumices/balms - no joy. Just this summer I changed footwear to Birkenstocks and 'boom' no more cracked heels! I can't believe it myself. Promise I'm not in the pocket of 'Big Birkenstock'!

@ValsCupcakes yes, quite different, with very specific training involving a professional qualification as a podiatrist. They can safely remove much more hard/dead skin than a standard pedicure

I used to get these when I lived in China, they were hands down the best pedis ever! I have terrible dry skin on my heels, and they used to razor the whole lot away, made such a difference.

I have seen that some salons offer heel peels, but I've never tried. The doc did the trick though. I always ended up hacking my heels to pieces with the callus knife!

Ouch it looks so sore. Good luck op

Make an appointment with a podiatrist, I go regularly as my feet were nightmares before but not anymore.
I go every six weeks

My (NHS) podiatrist recommended me this one - Derma Tonics Hard Skin Removing Balm. As a long-time user of Flexitol (which is also great), I find this one even better, and it smells amazing.

You need to get into the habit of applying it every day, especially after a bath/shower. It helps to wear socks after you apply it, for a while, so as not to get the cream on your floors and carpets. But you will find the dry skin dissolves away and the cracks heal up. Keep using it every couple of days, and your heels should stay smooth and supple.

I have problem skin on my feet that started with puberty. I've had to use a file every week of my life for decades to keep on top of it or I get a thick layer of hard skin that cracks like yours, OP.

I use a Microplane but have found over the years that using a cheese-grater type file or one of those hard skin shaver type tools encourages the skin to thicken up quicker.

My method that has enabled me to go from weekly to monthly filing starts with a microplane to get rid of the worst (always on DRY skin). Then I'll follow with a sandpaper type of file (either a battery rotational type or the Margaret Dabbs foot file). Then, if there's still any roughness, I fine it off with a glass file. The etched ones like Spa-rific do the best job.

I use a foot cream almost every night with a pair of socks on top. Margaret Dabbs Foot Hygiene is good but any thick cream will do.

One of the PP suggested glycolic acid followed by Vaseline which is a great suggestion.

Years ago I got hold of a large tub of 20% salicylic acid ointment from the pharmacist. This stuff was AMAZING. Thick and gloopy, needed old socks on top but did the job better than anything else I've ever tried. If someone knows where I can get some, please can you post? Mine must have been a pharmacy formulation as the pharmacist (retired years ago) had used it to make up other preparations.

My DP had cracks like that. I filed off what I could (dry skin), then applied the SA ointment. I kept doing this for days. I bought silicone heel socks to help stop the skin drying out. He'd had Athlete's Foot in between his toes so I tackled that with an anti-fungal foot powder but used the cream version on his heels. It took a few weeks but it worked.

A fungal infection can cause or worsen cracked heels so try an anti-fungal cream. The Margaret Dabbs Hygiene cream is good but it won't get rid of an established fungal infection.

A product I've used for years for all kinds of hard skin, including corns, is J. Pickles cream. I think it's been discontinued now which is a big shame as it's a very effective product. I get very hard skin growing up around the sides of my toenails but a dab of this stuff on the area for 5 nights and the skin is baby soft again.

The PP who suggested changing to Birkenstocks is spot on, too.

Normal people without diabetes, with a fungal foot infection, get this. Agree with Flexitol. Lamasil Once treatment, a month apart, using regular Lamasil for up to a week if needed in between, is what my podiatrist recommended to manage the fungal infection but it's worth going to find out whether Lamasil is the most effective anti-fungal for you.