Cracked heels are a rather common foot condition, also known as heel fissures. They are caused by dried-out skin and made much more complicated when the skin around the edge of the heel is callused. They can be painful to stand on and also the cracks in the skin might bleed.

Some individuals generally have a naturally dry skin which causes the skin easy to tear. The thicker dry skin (callus) about the back heel that could be more likely to tear is often because of mechanical reasons that increase strains under the heel (such as the way you move).

Issues which can be also included in the explanation for cracked heel skin include:

* continuous standing

* being overweight

* open back in the footwear

* several health conditions increase the risk to a drying skin (eg diabetes)

* skin complaints (eg psoriasis)

Self management for cracked heels:

* Applying an oil based moisturizing lotion twice daily is really necessary in order to get on top of this problem. an abrasive pad is useful to lessen the thickness of the thickened skin. It is very important to stay away from open back shoes or thin soled shoes.

* It is best not to try to reduce the callused skin your self with a blade or scissors. There is a risk of an infection developing and taking too much off.

The podiatric treatments for cracked heels can include the following:

* analyzing the explanation for the cracked heels, and this can be treated

* eliminating the harder callus by way of carefully debriding it (often the cracks is not going to mend if the skin is not removed). This will have to be done consistently. Regular upkeep might be the the easy way stop the disorder.

* when quite painful, taping is available to 'hold' the splits with each other while they heal (a maintenance system following this to stop it happening again is very important).

* using an emollient along with suggestions with regards to the most suitable moisturizer or emollient.

* advice about footwear along with self-care of the cracked heels.

* shoe inserts may be used to alter the way you move in order to avoid the thicker skin from building up (these are generally suggested for cases of heel callus and aren't suited to everyone).

* a heel "cup" could be used to maintain your plantar fat pad from extending laterally. This is used inside the footwear and will be extremely effective at prevention when utilized regularly.

* on exceptional instances some Podiatry practitioners along with Dermatologists have used a skin glue to stick the edges of the epidermis with each other, so the splits can recover.

The cracked skin that you may get at the back of the heels may be a painful problem if it is allowed to progress. This problem happens when the skin around the backs of the heel is dryer and thicker than it should ordinarily be. When the callus increases to make that dry thicker skin, it simply splits because it is not very supple or adaptable. The split that happens in the hard skin, then tries to tear or rip the normal skin below it. In the most severe cases, this will become painful, may bleed and be an for an infection, so does need to be given serious attention. The explanation for these cracked heels is not totally clear. Many people simply have a tendency to have a dryer skin and some people, due to the way that they walk tend to build up the callus around the sides of the heel. Being overweight can be another risk factor for this. Shoes which are open at the back are also considered to play a role in this problem.

The best way to manage the cracked heels is to find an expert podiatrist to get rid of the thicker hard skin and then use an cream to make softer the rest of the skin. You could try and get rid of that skin yourself with something similar to a pumice stone or file, but that's a lot of work and needs to be carried out a lot. The emollient lotion used after this should be put on regularly to help keep the skin well moisturized and flexible. There quite a bit of opinion of what's the most effective cream or emollient to use is and the best answer is the one which suits your skin. Some trial and error may be needed to get the best one. For cracked heels most foot doctors usually advocate starting with a urea based emollient.