Dry and cracked feet can be irritating, embarrassing, and sometimes downright painful when working or even just trying to enjoy time around the house. They can make you feel sore, or tired, or even unattractive. They’re an unnecessary inconvenience. While it might seem like those cracks are stubborn and permanent, there are methods to get rid of them and finally bring relief. Even if you think you must have tried everything, try some of our tested techniques to fix cracked feet and repair your dry skin.
There’s a lot of information online about skincare; it can be a bit overwhelming. This article is here to break it all down and simplify the best steps that you can take to ease your feet. Many of the products listed are available easily over the counter at any pharmacy or at Amazon (probably cheaper), and some are probably in your home right now.
This list, while full of useful information, isn’t a replacement for medical care, so while most dry, cracked feet can be fixed at home with very little effort, if your problems continue after trying our methods, consider seeing a specialist. Now, Let’s dive into our complete guide on fixing men’s cracked feet
Table of Contents
How to Fix Cracked Feet
First, we need to discuss what causes dry, cracked feet. For most people, feet are almost constantly under pressure. When feet are under pressure, the fatty pads under the heel splay out and the skin hardens and becomes less stretchy. Over time, this gives way to cracks. This problem can be exacerbated by poorly fitting shoes, a poor walking style, open-backed shoes, shoes that rub up against the the feet and heels and cause friction, and dry and cold weather.
There are also certain medical conditions that would make someone more likely to experience dry and cracked feet, such as:
- diabetes
- certain fungal infections
- psoriasis
- eczema
- hypothyroidism
- obesity
- and heel spurs
Anyone can experience cracked feet, but some people are more predisposed than others. Certain illnesses or genetic conditions can make you more likely to experience it. That said, everyone should take preventative measures when it comes to their skin. If you want to prevent this happening again (or this hasn’t yet happened to you) there are steps that you can take to avoid it altogether provided that you are otherwise healthy.
Avoid hot showers.
Try to resist the hot water and opt for warm water instead to protect your skin. When you use warm water to wash your skin, it dries it out.
Keep showers and baths brief
This stops extra moisture from escaping your skin
Avoid soaps with heavy fragrances
Perfumes and colognes can be drying and irritating. Fragrances in soaps are no different.
Moisturize after every shower
Applying a thick moisturizer after the shower will help trap moisture in the skin and prevent future cracking.
Now that we’ve checked out some preventative measures, let’s dig deeper into the solutions. We’ll break down our potential solutions piece by piece to see which one works best for your situation
Use a Thick Moisturizer or Balm Before You Go to Sleep
Wearing thick balms on your feet can be really annoying. They slide all around, and if you have anything at all to do during the day, there’s no way to get them to stay in place. But if you put them on after the shower and before you go to bed, you’ve minimized the amount of time left for them to go rogue and maximized the amount of time for them to do the work that they need to do to heal your skin.
You’re looking for moisturizers containing emollients or humectants. An emollient is a product that’s going to help prevent moisture loss from the skin, which is exactly what you need to help prevent future cracking. A humectant helps draw in moisture from the environment outside, or other layers of skin. They also help maintain current moisture levels. Using these two together is optimal, but either will help with healing your cracked feet and moisturizing your skin.
If you’re looking for something reliable, you should try Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion. It’s incredibly cheap and it WORKS.
Use an Occlusive to Lock in Moisture
So now you’ve got your moisturizer on, you’re feeling moisturized…now what? If you want to make sure that you’re getting the best possible benefit from your products, layering an occlusive balm or ointment over your moisturizers is going to be a game changer.
An occlusive creates a protective barrier over your skin, like a little moisture shield. This is going to make sure that your feet are protected, and that the products on them can do all of the work that they have to do.
There are a bunch of affordable options for occlusives available at any pharmacy, but the most popular one by far is just simple petroleum jelly. Slathering this over the moisturizers before you go to bed is an easy way to ensure that you’ll be giving yourself the best possible chance at furthering your healing by the next morning.
As mentioned above, you will be able to lock in moisture with Eucerin’s Intensive Repair Lotion.
Look for Products Containing Keratolytics
Keratolytics are going to be present in balms made specifically for dry and cracked heels, feet, and palms. You won’t have to look too far or too hard, and some of these products also contain humectants.
A keratolytic is going to help thin out skin that’s grown too thick. Thickened skin is part of the problem behind the pain and cracking, so thinning it will ease the process of moisturization and exfoliation. For this, you’re going to by looking for products that contain things like lactic acid, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or urea (which is conveniently also a humectant).
These can be found in thick balms that would be useful underneath one of the previously mentioned occlusives.
Rub Your Moisturized Feet Gently with Pumice Stones
A pumice stone is a natural rock created from the mix of cooled magma and water. That’s pretty metal, but today you’re going to use it to rub gently at your feet in hopes that your extra skin will ease itself away. Pumice is much gentler on the skin than any more aggressive methods of removal (avoid using anything sharp on your skin) and can be quite effective.
It’s best to exfoliate in this way when feet are moisturized, or at the very least, after a soak. Soaking feet in warm (not hot!) water can soften the skin enough that the stone won’t be abrasive, but will just gently slough away the extra and unnecessary layers causing problems. Exfoliating on dry skin can be uncomfortable, or even painful, and can exacerbate the cracking. This is a great addition to a strong moisturizing routine, as moisturizing before and after exfoliating will increase the benefits and heal up your dry and cracked feet in no time.
Apply Liquid Bandages
Liquid, gel, and spray bandages are similar to standard adhesive bandages in their protective ability. They’re much more flexible and adaptable though, and are useful for healing cracks in the feet. Applying the bandages to particularly painful cracks can not only lock in moisture and prevent any future harm, but also easy pain and prevent bacteria from entering the cracks.
This solution is for particularly deep cracks that are beyond the point of moisturizing. Healing and soothing need to come first before we can fully restore the skin to its optimal state.
Consider Natural Remedies
Okay, so maybe you’ve tried everything. There are a few items at home that can help ease common skin dryness if you’re willing to commit to them, but they can definitely be messy. While there’s no shortage of information about “home skincare” on the web, two of the most popular products for D.I.Y. moisturizing can be found in most kitchens (and every grocery store).
Honey is a natural humectant, which means, again, that it draws in moisture. It’s also naturally antibacterial, and full of antioxidants. All of this at the cost of it being just a little bit sticky. If you’re willing to brave it, trying out a bit of honey to ease your struggle might be a worthwhile venture if all of the other methods have failed you.
Coconut oil, similarly, is a natural moisturizer. It’s also naturally antibacterial and naturally anti-fungal, which could be a benefit to your cracked feet (depending on their source). It’s also slightly less messy than honey.
Wear Cotton Socks to Bed
All of these remedies are a bit messy (especially the natural ones). Cotton socks have several benefits. For one, they allow your feet to breathe. Healthy skin needs to breathe to maintain health and moisture levels. Socks made out of synthetic materials or dyes often negatively impact the skin’s ability to breathe, and cause problems with dryness. This isn’t what you want when you’re trying to heal your cracked feet.
The cotton socks will also ensure that the good things keeping your feet soft and moisturized are staying on your feet and off of your sheets, bed, and anyone sharing that bed with you (as is polite). Just like the occlusive, the socks are helping to ensure that the moisturizers can do their best work. They can’t do that if they’re getting all over your sheets.
What if None of This is Working?
What if you’ve tried all of these methods? What if you’ve tried every suggestion, every bit of science or snake oil on every website ever written and you’re still suffering?
It might be time for a doctor visit. You might be suffering from some kind of underlying condition that you just don’t know about yet. A doctor will be able to find the source of your cracks and discomfort, and hopefully find you a solution that offers some relief.
A general practitioner is a good place to start, but a dermatologist wouldn’t hurt either. It never hurts to get a second opinion on something that impacts your health and wellbeing, especially if you’ve tried all of the possible solutions you could find at home.
Cracked feet can be unsightly, embarrassing, uncomfortable, and just plain annoying. You don’t have to continue suffering through it just because it’s common. Taking care of your skin will make you feel and look better, and give you one less thing to worry about. Cracked feet can be healed easily at home with plenty of over the counter products or natural remedies. There’s no need to put up with this easily fixable problem.