Dry feet (cracked heels)
Why do I have dry feet?
Our feet (especially heels) dry out and crack easily. This is worse in the winter, but also with sandals and flip-flops. Sometimes the skin cracks and splits, causing deep fissures, which are very painful when lotions, soaps, dirt, or chemicals get into them.
How do I fix dry feet?
When you have dry or cracked heels, moisturize them frequently!
Use a moisturizing cream before you put on socks and leave for the day.
At bedtime, put 20% or 40% urea cream on your feet (urea is a mild acid that peels off dead, flaky skin). NOTE: Urea can sting when the skin is broken. Then apply either moisturizing cream or Vaseline to the dry feet and wear cotton socks to bed.
For thickened skin, soak in Vinegar Soaks nightly for 10 minutes and use a combo foot scrubber + urea cream.
To speed up the process, after applying urea cream, wrap the feet in plastic wrap and cover with cotton socks.
For deep cracks (fissures), some people use super glue. Push the fissure closed, then put a strip of super glue along the top of the fissure - this helps the skin stay closed and keeps chemicals from getting in and hurting.
What is the difference between lotions, creams, and ointments?
The biggest difference between these is the amount of alcohol in each one.
LOTIONS have the most alcohol, so they are thinner, less greasy, and go on easily. But lotions are very unlikely to fix dry, cracked feet.
CREAMS are a happy medium - not too thick and not too thin. Creams are the best for regular use for dry feet. Creams have some alcohol but less than lotions. My favorites are Vanicream Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe Moisturizing Cream.
OINTMENTS are the thickest and most greasy, either just petrolatum (Vaseline), petrolatum plus mineral oil (Aquaphor), or petrolatum plus ceramides (CeraVe). These have little to no alcohol in them. They are the best moisturizers and best for fixing dry feet.
What if my dry feet aren’t getting better?
Usually, the steps above help most people get their dry feet better. Sometimes dryness is caused by athlete’s foot (a fungus) - this gets better with an over-the-counter cream like clotrimazole twice a day and an antifungal powder during the day (see my page on Athlete’s Foot). Sometimes people have sensitive skin or are allergic to chemicals in socks or shoes. If over-the-counter options are not working, stronger prescription medications or patch testing are the next options. Find a board-certified dermatologist in your area. If you are in or near Utah, see one of my colleagues at the University of Utah or me virtually with Honeydew.
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