Treatment of cracked heels with folk remedies

For various reasons, the delicate skin on the heels sometimes begins to become rough, thicken, and vertical cuts appear, turning into cracks. In addition to the unaesthetic appearance, which is more annoying for women who are forced to wear open shoes in the warm season, it is also very painful. What can be done to eliminate them and what folk remedies exist for this?

Treatment of cracked heels at home

First of all, it is necessary to find out the reasons for such a phenomenon, since it can be caused by various pathologies, which should be the main focus of treatment. Among them are diabetes mellitus, other endocrine problems that adversely affect metabolic processes, iron deficiency anemia, and hypovitaminosis.

On the other hand, rough heels can be caused by improper or untimely foot care, walking on the ground without shoes, fungal infections, dermatitis, dry skin, which often occurs during menopause as a result of a decrease in elastin and collagen.

Whatever the cause of this condition, in addition to measures to eliminate it, you need to constantly engage in external care of your heels.

There are many ways to remove cracks at home, although this process is not fast. Among them are baths:

• dissolve sea salt in hot water, soak your feet in it for at least 15 minutes, remove the keratinized layer with a pumice stone or a special brush, apply nourishing foot cream, put on socks;
• do the same in a soda solution;
• use a decoction of succession and calendula;
• Make a paste from boiled potato peels, dilute it with a small amount of hot water, enough to cover the feet, keep your feet for 15-20 minutes, rinse, and lubricate the cracks with iodine.

Compresses are quite effective. They are applied to the heels, fixed with polyethylene, and insulated on top. As a medicinal composition, you can use a gruel of grated onion, sour apple or honey. Oatmeal cooked in water with the addition of linseed oil helps well. Compresses can be left on overnight. After removing in the morning, the feet are wiped dry, lubricated with a moisturizing, or better yet, greasy cream.

Ointments for cracked heels

Pharmacy ointments containing urea are very effective against cracked heels, but they are not cheap. Here folk recipes will come to the rescue, according to which homemade ones are prepared with the main ingredient - fat:

• melt the pork fat in a double boiler, add grated carrots and leave for 30 minutes; after cooling, the resulting cream can be used;
• olive oil, almond oil and crushed plantain herb are mixed, Vaseline is added in a volume 10 times greater than the obtained one;
• a decoction is made from medicinal herbs used to treat skin conditions (chamomile, succession, calendula, St. John's wort, sage). Badger fat is melted separately, after which both components are combined, mixed and brought to condition in a water bath with constant stirring;
• mix Kalanchoe juice with lanolin in equal parts;
• pharmaceutical glycerin (3 parts), the same amount of vinegar essence is combined with two parts of alcohol;
• crushed propolis (10g) and petroleum jelly (50g) are mixed, after bringing to a boil in a water bath, left for another 10 minutes, filtered;
• ammonia and glycerin in equal proportions.

The most important thing is to be consistent in what you have started, alternate the suggested methods, and use the prepared creams twice a day.

How to treat cracked heels in men?

Men's heels are less susceptible to external influences, since their feet are less often exposed, but frequent causes of such damage to the skin are fungal infections, and the consequences associated with age-related changes cannot be avoided.

The main problem in treating cracked heels in men is their inability to be systematic in foot care. It is very important to maintain their hygiene, change socks often, and not keep your feet in closed shoes all day. All the recipes described above are also quite suitable for men.