Dry and cracked skin on your feet is a common problem and it includes athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), leg vein complications (venous stasis), psoriasis and skin rashes.
There are six common issues why you have dry and cracked skin:
Physical factor
The temperature in your shoes can be as high 48-degree Celsius. Such conditions may result in water loss and make your heels vulnerable to any slight opening or crack in the skin.
Skin cleanser
Your skin has its own protective oil called sebum, and any unbalanced or unsuitable ingredient in your cleanser can strip the sebum and cause your skin to be prone to loss of moisture.
Medical condition
There are several health problems that can cause dry skin such as malnutrition, hypothyroidism, atopic dermatitis and diabetes. Crohn’s disease or celiac disease, on the other hand, may lead to a deficiency in vitamins and fatty acid.
Ageing
As time passes, the body ages. Hormone and metabolic changes occur and one of them is the thickening of the epidermis or stratum corneum. This condition will lead to skin cracking as the stress increases.
Cold weather
Winter or any cold environment can worsen your skin condition due to the low humidity. Your skin’s moisture evaporates quicker.
What should you do to avert such problems and retain the moisture of your skin? Here are some tips to moisturise your skin, especially your feet:
Wash daily
The key to preventing skin dryness is to keep moisturising, and the simplest method is by washing your feet everyday. Use mild soap and warm water, avoid using hot water as it may strip the protective oils in the skin.
Stay away from soap or cleanser with fragrance, alcohol, retinoids or alpha hydroxy acid; these are bad for those suffering from dry and sensitive skin.
Apply moisturiser
Apply moisturiser as soon as you dry your feet after washing or bathing. A regular moisturiser is effective for moderately dry skin, but you need an extra rich moisturiser if you have excessively dry skin.
For cracked heels, do apply heel balm. The balm contains urea, salicylic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids and saccharide isomerate which helps soften thick skin, moisturises and exfoliates dead skin.
Don’t brush your feet
Don’t scrub your feet robustly to get them clean as they will only dry out more. Just pat your feet gently and wipe dry.
Vigorously scrubbing your feet will take the sebum away and the absence of sebum will make your skin prone to dryness.
Administer petroleum jelly
Also called petrolatum, it is a concoction of waxes and mineral oils discovered by Robert Augustus Chesebrough in 1859. It is one of the ways to keep your skin and feet moisturised and keep cracked heels at bay.
Apply the jelly before going to bed and let it work on your feet throughout the night.
Wear cotton socks
Cotton socks allow your feet to breathe as well as keep moisture in. Regularly change your socks and don’t wear the same one repeatedly; wearing unchanged socks can get your feet infected with bacteria and worsen the condition if you are have cracked heels.
You definitely don’t want foul-smelling feet in your days ahead.
Always reserve some time to moisturising your feet. It is not solely about beauty but your skin health as well.
If you have cracked heels, set an appointment with your doctor or certified dermatologist to check, just to confirm weather your feet have an infection. Remember that preventive steps are always better than delayed cure.
The Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.