What causes dry skin?
September 29, 2009 by Heel Tastic · Leave a Comment
What is the cause of dry skin. I don’t know about you but I hate it! The second fall comes around I can feel it coming on and I know Winter is going to be a rough one!
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
Dry Cracked Heels
August 16, 2009 by Heel Tastic · Leave a Comment
Heel Tastic repairs 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)



