It’s almost sandal season and time to free your feet from those cumbersome winter shoes and boots. While kicking off your shoes can be liberating, you may not be so enthusiastic if you suffer from dry, cracked heels. Not only are dry, cracked heels unsightly, they can be painful in severe cases. What causes this condition and is there a good treatment for dry, cracked heels?

Dry, cracked heels are usually caused, not surprisingly, by dry skin. Chances are if you have significant cracks in the heel region, you probably have dry skin in other areas. The tendency to crack can be made worse if the heel area is also calloused. Dry, cracked heels are more commonly seen in those who do a lot of standing, particularly women who wear open backed sandals. Open sandals allow the heel to expand over the sides of the sandal strap in the back which makes the condition worse Anything that allows additional pressure to be applied to the heel pads will also increase the risk of heel cracking, including being overweight. Diabetics are particularly prone to developing dry, cracked heels. In some cases, the cracks or fissures that form on the skin can become infected, particularly if too much time is spent standing around in open backed shoes.

What’s the best treatment for dry, cracked heels? Since the problem is partially caused by dry skin, replenishing lost moisture is essential. Unfortunately, applying moisture is unlikely to be effective as long as the calloused skin is present. The callouses prevent the moisturizer from being adequately absorbed. For this reason, it’s important to reduce the hardened, calloused areas so the moisturizer can better do its job. One way to do this is to rub the heels with a wet pumice stone each night after soaking the feet in warm water to soften the hardened skin. The pumice stone should be followed by application of a heavy layer of moisturizer. You can buy moisturizers specifically made for this problem by companies such as Dr. Scholl, but natural moisturizers such as shea butter may work just as well for dry, cracked heels. It helps to put on a pair of cotton socks after applying the moisturizer.

One word of caution. If you’re diabetic, don’t use a pumice stone at home on your feet. You’ll run the risk of nicking the skin which could cause a serious diabetic foot infection to develop. Make an appointment with a podiatrist for treatment of dry, cracked heels. You should also see a podiatrist immediately if you develop pain or redness in the heel area.

If you’re diligent about pumicing away the callouses and applying moisturizer, you should start to see your dry, cracked heels improve after several weeks, and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful summertime feet!