So with the wonderful world wide web at my finger tips I thought I would look into this more. Not just dry cracked heels but dry skin in general.

I know weather, food, smoking the environs and other factors play a big part but what is the cause and why. If you are one of the unlucky ones then you know how harsh the effects of dry skin can be. There is not just the uncomfortableness of dry skin but the wow factor of embarrassment when other see what you cannot hide.

I came across this article: Check these 11 common causes of dry skin at WebMD and thought I would share the info. Well not that it is mine to share but you know what I mean.

Here are some of the culprits:

Dry Skin Problem: Dry Air

Dry Skin Problem: Long, Hot Showers & Baths

Dry Skin Problem: Soap

Dry Skin Problem: Itchy Clothing

Dry Skin Problem: Medications and Drugs

Dry Skin Problem: Medical Conditions

In some cases a person may have naturally dry skin that increases the risk of Cracked Heels. Callous that forms around the heel is prone to cracking due to mechanical factors that increase pressures in that area e.g the way a person walks.

Other factors that can be involved in the cause of Cracked Heels include:

• Prolonged standing at work or home, especially on hard floors.
• Being overweight – this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways. If the skin is not supple and flexible, the pressures may cause the skin to crack.
• Open-back on shoes. This allows the fat under the heel to expand sideways and the pressure may cause the skin to crack.
• Certain medical conditions cause the skin to become dry and cracked eg diabetes or an underactive thyroid.
• Skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.

As with all conditions your Doctor should be consulted to diagnose and treat this condition.

Treatment may include:

• Investigation of the cause of the problem, so this can be addressed.
• Removal of the hard thick skin to promote healing. We may prescribe special creams and socks that will help to deeply moisturizer the area.
• If Cracked Heels are very painful, strapping may be used to ‘hold’ the cracks together during the healing process.
• Advice about footwear and prevention of the problem.
• Orthotics or arch supports may be recommended to alter the way you walk to prevent callous from developing on the heels.

Home Treatment

The key to treating cracked heels at home is to apply a moisturizer before bed at night and then trap the moisture in your feet overnight by wearing a special sock that prevents the moisture from evaporating. Use the following plan for 2 weeks. If you haven’t seen improvement in that time, see your podiatrist:

• Soak your feet or take a bath or shower before bed,
• Apply a deep penetrating moisturizer, such as Callex Ointment,
• Cover the foot with a moisture barrier sock such as Silipos gel therapy socks. Wear the sock overnight,
• Use the moisturizer and sock every night for 2 weeks.
• Smoother. This revolutionary pedicure appliance smooths callouses and removes dry skin on heels and toes in seconds, without the use of harsh chemicals or dangerous blades.
• Heel Tastic can be applied to help nourish and moisturize dry cracked heels.

Soft and Smooth feet are an integral part of your overall personality. But most of us suffer from cracked and dry heels for one or the other reasons. Though there are many products available in the market that claim to give you relief from cracked heels but most never comes with the results that they claim to offer. Thus in order to give you good and visible results, Heel Tastic is introduced in the market.

What are cracked heels?

Cracked heels are a common foot problem that are often referred to as heel fissures. Cracked heels are commonly caused by dry skin (xerosis), and made more complicated if the skin around the rim of the heel is thick (callus). For most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem but when the fissures or cracks are deep, they are painful to stand on and the skin can bleed – in severe cases this can become infected.

What does a cracked heel look like?

The skin is normally dry and may have a thick callus which appears as yellow or dark brown discolored area of skin, especially along the inside border of the heel. Cracks in the skin are usually obvious.

What are the symptoms of cracked heels?

If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing, that is not there when weight is off the heel. The edges or rim around the heel will generally have a thicker area of skin (callus). Wearing open or thin soled shoes usually make the symptoms worse.

What causes cracked heels?

Some people tend to have a naturally dry skin that predisposes them to the cracks. The thickened dry skin (callus) around the heel that is more likely to crack is often due to mechanical factors that increase pressures in that area (eg the way you walk).

Other factors that can be involved in the cause of cracked heels include:

• prolonged standing (at work or home, especially on hard floors)
• being overweight (this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand sideways – if the skin is not supple and flexible, the pressures to ‘crack’ are high)
• open back on the shoes (this allows the fat under the heel to expand sideways and increases the pressure to ‘crack’)
• some medical conditions predispose to a drying skin (eg autonomic neuropathy in those with diabetes leads to less sweating; an underactive thyroid lowers the body’s metabolic rate and there is a reduction in sweating, leading to a dryness of the skin)
• skin conditions (eg psoriasis and eczema)