The problem may come up at different times of the year, during those cold and dry winter months or even during the summer when you are walking around in sandals all day long.  Cracked heels or feet that are dry and cracked can be just a minor problem requiring a few dabs of intensive care lotion, to a severe condition that requires some serious exfoliating and intensive moisturizers in order to bring your heels back to proper health.

For some people, cracked feet are merely a symptom of the harsh dry weather that is occurring. It is a pesky problem for sure, but nothing that cannot be solved with a good moisturizing lotion that contains skin penetrating lipids along with the skin friendly products like Aloe and Vitamin E. However, some cracked heel problems are so bad, that no amount of heavy oil-based moisturizers seem to work and the problem seems to come back with frequency or to not even go away at all. These require some more aggressive treatments.

Those cracks in your heel’s skin are commonly known as heel fissures. Heel fissures develop as the skin becomes excessively dry and when the thick and brittle calluses on the heels of your feet become aggravated. Walking or standing in one place puts pressure on our heels, causing small cracks to open up within your epidermal layer of your skin. While most of the time, these dry and cracked heel fissures only look bad, that can end up forming deeper cracks leading to bleeding and even further infection. Here is what you should do as the weather turns dry (usually in the winter or at the height of summer) and you feel your feet start to crack under pressure.

Exfoliate

The skin on your feet can become a tough nut to crack with just a mere lotion application. Even the thickest of lotions will have trouble penetrating through your calluses in order to do their work. If you use up all your heavy duty lotion on your feet and still do not see improvement, you may need to soften and exfoliate your hard, dry skin in order to spur on the healing process. Start by soaking your tootsies in a nice foot bath using some Epsom salts or other natural foot soaking products that will help soften your heels. There are also some chemical based exfoliates that you can use in this manner. Once you soak your feet and soften your skin, it is time to do some exfoliating using either chemical or physical means. Once you reduce your calluses, the lotion will be able to better penetrate your skin and the healing process can begin.

What not to do

Some people claim that super glue is a great way to fill in those cracks and seal them off from infection. While it is true that super glue is not toxic in small doses and can be used for small cuts and such, most doctors will not recommend using an excessive amount to fill in your heel fissures. Also, never use sharp razor like objects to try to cut away your calluses. If you go too far, you might end up cutting into your skin and opening up your heels to further infection. Also, try not to wear open backed shoes while your feet are cracked. The pressure on your feet causes your cracks to expand and open backed shoes will allow this expansion to continue unchecked.

Here is list of essential foods that one can include in a regular meal and help curb deficiencies that may cause cracked heels:

Vitamins (Vitamin E) rich foods include:

• vegetable oils
• green vegetables
• cereals
• wheat germ,
• whole-grain products
• nuts

Minerals (Calcium and Iron) rich foods include :
Calcium: milk, cheese, yogurt, goat's milk, fortified soya milk, mineral water, ice cream, tinned fish, juices, cereals and broccoli are excellent sources of calcium. Dairy products such as milk and yogurt are also considered as one of the best sources of calcium.
Iron: Meat, chicken and fish are good sources of iron. Iron is also available in cereals, eggs, vegetables and beans; however it is not as easily absorbed into the body as the iron from meat, chicken and fish.
Zinc rich foods include: Oysters, chicken, crab, kidney beans, yogurt, brown rice, spaghetti.
Omega-3 fatty acids are largely found in: Purslane herb, cold water fish, and flaxseed oil or flax seeds.

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