What Causes Skin on Your Feet and Heels to Crack and Split?
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Daily UseYour skin protects your feet from damage, dirt, and infections. But if it becomes cracked, that barrier no longer works effectively. Cracked skin on your feet develops as the skin on your heel splits apart. Caused by a combination of dryness and pressure, it’s a persistent condition unless drastic action is taken.
Dry split skin on your feet is also extremely painful. It can prevent you from walking, being active, and enjoying a great quality of life. Learn how to manage dry, split skin on feet, preventing it from recurring.
In this article:
- Understanding Dry Skin on Feet
- Stress and Friction as Aggravating Factors
- Underlying Medical Conditions
- Prevention Tips
- Flexitol: Your Ally in Combating Cracked Skin on Feet
Understanding Dry Skin on Feet
Why do some people experience cracked skin on their feet? Usually, it’s a combination of factors. These include:
· Physiological Predisposition. Sebaceous glands typically release oil, locking in moisture and softening the skin. If you’ve got a lack of sebaceous glands on the soles of your feet, you’re naturally at greater risk of dry skin on your feet.
· Environmental Factors. Dry weather, low humidity, and excessive hot water exposure all increase the risk of dry feet. These factors deplete the skin’s moisture, causing more friction and triggering callus formation.
· Chemical Irritants. Using harsh soaps, detergents, and certain topical medications can further disrupt the skin’s natural barrier. Such products exacerbate the dryness, leading to dry, split skin on the feet.
Stress and Friction as Aggravating Factors
While these underlying factors contribute to cracked skin on your feet, the final straw comes from stress and friction.
Pressure from weight distribution and repetitive stress on the heels are risk factors for callus formation. For example, prolonged standing can damage the fat pad cushioning, forcing the heel to flatten and widen, increasing the risk of cracks.
This is further exacerbated by poor footwear. Open-backed shoes, ill-fitting footwear, and excessive barefoot walking increase friction on the heel. The skin protects itself by thickening, allowing cracks to form.
Underlying Medical Conditions
Your skin is often reflective of your overall health. Little wonder then that certain medical conditions can cause dry skin on your feet.
If you’ve got an unusual foot structure, such as flat feet or high arches (pes cavus), you’re also at greater risk of dry, split skin on your feet. Dry feet and cracked heels can also be a result of diabetes.
Examples include:
· Eczema causes inflammation and reduces the skin’s ability to retain moisture, leading to dryness and cracking.
· Psoriasis accelerates skin cell turnover, causing thick, scaly patches that can crack and become painful.
· Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that causes itching, dryness, and cracking of the skin, particularly between the toes and on the soles.
· Diabetes can reduce blood flow to the feet and damage nerves, leading to dry skin that is prone to cracking.
· Thyroid disorders can disrupt sweat and oil gland function, resulting in dry, rough skin on the feet.
· Malnutrition can deprive the skin of essential nutrients, leading to dryness, loss of elasticity, and cracking.
Prevention Tips
Cracked skin on the feet isn’t inevitable. With the right routine, you can prevent your skin from drying out. We recommend moisturizing your skin every day – morning and night. Use a thick cream with ingredients like urea to help break down dead skin and lock in moisture.
Supportive shoes are a must. Look for footwear with excellent arch support and a closed back to prevent pressure and friction.
Lastly, limit hot showers and baths. The hot water dries out your feet, exacerbating the condition. Opt for shorter showers in lukewarm water.
Flexitol: Your Ally in Combating Cracked Skin on Feet
Want a ready-to-go solution to dry, split skin on your feet? Try Flexitol Heel Balm and Flexitol Heel Magic from Flexitol.
So, how does heel balm foot cream work to moisturize the skin on your feet? Containing rich moisturizing and exfoliating ingredients, these products soften the skin, heel the cracks, and seal in moisture to prevent further damage going forwards. It’s the gold standard for fixing cracked skin on feet.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with dry skin on your feet day in and day out is a painful experience. The further you walk, the less action you take, the worse the condition gets. Soothe your feet and heal the cracked skin with Flexitol’s effective products: Heel Balm and Heel Magic.
Of course, if your cracked heels continue to persist or worse, seek immediate medical attention. Your doctor or podiatrist can advise on the best course of action.
