Cracked heels? Try these tips

By Shahnaz Husain Hyderabad: Cracked heels or heel fissures are a common problem, caused mainly due to dehydration, extremely hot conditions plus pressure from walking. If you’ve been outside barefoot, wear open-back shoes or Hawaii chappals, flip-flops, high heels, then you’re likely to develop the problem. The higher your heels, the more pressure you’re putting […]

By Shahnaz Husain

Hyderabad: Cracked heels or heel fissures are a common problem, caused mainly due to dehydration, extremely hot conditions plus pressure from walking. If you’ve been outside barefoot, wear open-back shoes or Hawaii chappals, flip-flops, high heels, then you’re likely to develop the problem. The higher your heels, the more pressure you’re putting on the balls of your feet, which is not only uncomfortable but over time can lead to bunions and hammertoes.

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Lack of moisturisation, overexposure to pollution, and medical conditions such as vitamin deficiency, overweight, eczema, diabetes, thyroid, and psoriasis, lead to dry and cracked feet. Ageing can be a factor too, as skin loses its ability to stretch as you get older.

If the skin on the heel becomes dry, thick or hard, when the heel strikes the ground, instead of deforming, it is more likely to crack and split causing deep, visible cracks. Cracked, dry heels can be your worst skin nightmare as they hurt, bleed, and are unsightly.

So, maintaining good foot health is important and there are natural ways to get baby soft foot skin:

• Once a month, treat your feet to a homemade spa treatment. Soak in a mixture of 2 cups fresh-mashed pineapple, 2 cups fresh-mashed papaya, and 2 cups hot milk. After 20 minutes, rinse off and apply a rich foot cream.

• Moisturise your feet daily. Give yourself weekly foot treatments at home to revitalise the skin. Soaking the feet in warm water helps to soften the skin and remove dead skin. For daily foot and heel care, apply pure almond oil on the feet before your bath and massage it into the skin. After the bath, apply a cream while the skin is still damp. This helps to seal in moisture. Massage the cream into the skin. The feet will remain soft and smooth.

• To bring the swelling down after a long, hot day walk, soak your feet in a tub of ice water for 15 minutes. Then pat dry with a towel.

• Honey is a natural remedy for common foot problems. Mix one cup of honey in three litres of lukewarm water and soak your feet for 20 minutes. You can use honey as a foot scrub after the soak or apply it as a foot mask overnight. Repeat it twice a week.