To care for dry, cracked heels, follow these tips for fastest way to heal cracked heels.
- Limit baths and showers to 5-10 minutes. Bathing for too long can dry out the skin, making dry, cracked heels worse. Be gentle when blotting your skin dry with a towel.
- Use a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser. This will help your feet retain their natural oils.
- Moisturize within 5 minutes of bathing. Look for a moisturizing cream that contains 10-25% urea, alpha hydroxy acid, or salicylic acid, and apply it to your heels immediately after bathing while your skin is still damp and whenever your heels feel dry to lock in moisture.
- Before bed, apply plain petroleum jelly. Consider wearing socks at night to avoid getting grease on your bedding.
- Protect your heels. During the day, apply a liquid bandage over the cracks in your heels to create a protective barrier, which can help reduce pain, speed up healing, and stop germs from entering your skin.
- Wear the proper shoes. If you have dry, cracked heels, avoid open-heeled shoes, such as flip flops or slingbacks, shoes that are worn down, or shoes that don’t fit properly.
How to Prevent Cracked Heels
- Check your feet daily. This is particularly important if you have diabetes. Checking your feet every day will help you find problems before they become serious. Look for:Swelling , cuts,Athlete's foot,Warm spots
- Wash your feet every day. Use warm water to wash your feet. Dry them well, making sure you get between your toes because the skin there tends to stay wet. Then apply cornstarch or talcum powder between your toes. This will keep the skin dry and help prevent infection.
- Trim your toenails. If your toenails need to be cut, trim them straight across. Then file them down gently with an emery board. This will help prevent ingrown toenails.
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