Dry cracked nasty looking feet

LaurAnnHere · 06-04-2005, 06:32 AM

I haven't always had this problem,but it has become one of my most troublesome ones. I have horrible dry, cracking feet. I'm embarrassed to let anyone see them. This has made me into one of those fashion disaster women who wears socks with my sandals.

This is really hard for me since I love wearing sandals and I love strappy shoes. Now I'm stuck covering my feet that otherwise are kinda cute. I've used pumice stones, scrapers, and even those little razor things to cut off the dead stuff (TMI, sorry). What in the world is causing this and how can I stop it so I can wear my favorite shoes once again?

dellwood · 06-04-2005, 08:11 AM

This is something I've never thought to post here, but thank you for bringing it up, Laurann. My feet have been like this for ages now, and I've tried everything like you. After I soak my feet, I give them the full treatment, and I have tried all sorts of creams and lotions. The only one that helps for a bit is Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream, but it makes your feet really sticky until it soaks in and the effects don't last all that long for me.
I hope someone out there has a solution--here's to strappy sandals sometime this summer!

barneyb · 06-04-2005, 09:29 AM

I understand that this can be a symptom of Diabetes, so I would assume IR also. My heels get really deep cracks that are sometimes really sore. A couple of things that I do seem to help. . . I have one of those 4 in 1 things & after my shower, I start with the one that looks like a cheese grater and then go to the file. I don't use the pumice or the brush often because I don't think they help much. But after I get rid of some of the old skin I rub something in to moisturize - Gold Bond medicated lotion works really well, as does good old Vaseline. Stick socks on for a while - overnight is good - and they're much softer afterwards. I hate the crusty foot look too, so I hope this helps!!!

BayGirl · 06-04-2005, 10:20 AM

it is genetic.... my father has it and so did his father. It gets less in eth summer but the winter is Terrible...

There isn't much you CAN do. They (dermatologists) tell you to use eucerin. Honestly, its sadly something they can't do too much for and its something ya kinda have to live with. While you can get rid of some of the old skin, the fissures are still there and there is no way to get rid of all of it (in most cases - mine is bad and my fathers is HORRIBLE).

Since the top of my feet look fine, I wear sandals and strappy shoes out.. noone get down foot level to see that my heal might be not so perfect. Of course I dont not wear socks when others are around.. if I dont have socks on (without shoes) I hide my feet somehow.

TracyW2 · 06-04-2005, 11:07 AM

My dh has this in a terrible way. I cant stand his feet, they look horrid. But what I have been doing is appling vasiline to them nightly and letting it stay on there for a hour. then just simply wiping it off and puting on some socks so he can walk around the house without getting it on the carpet. Then in the morning he can change his socks since the ones he had on got the rest of the vasiline off. So far so good.

~tracy

sleepydumpling · 06-04-2005, 11:20 AM

Try Eulactol heel balm. It's a miracle stuff - it's a bit pricey but it really does work!

Also, every night slather on some very rich moisturiser, put on a pair of old socks and go to bed. Then pumice first thing in the morning in the shower/bath. Do this EVERY night and you'll see a difference within a week or two.

Also Avon have some great foot soaks (I really like the cinnamon) that you can give your feet a soak in once per week to soften them up some more.

Hope this helps
K

BayGirl · 06-04-2005, 11:39 AM

mine are horrible and have DEEP fissures and nothign has worked and the doctors ahev said only thing syou can do is make it look abtyter but there is no cureall.

tariana · 06-04-2005, 11:47 AM

Mine are like that too, Tara... I've tried everything, been to the doctor, etc. My mom has them so I'm assuming that's where they came from. I can put stuff on them and it helps a little but unless I do it EVERY night, there's not much improvement, and wearing baggies on my feet every night for the rest of my life (the only thing that keeps the sticky creams from getting everywhere) doesn't sound appealing to me, so mostly I am just dealing with it. I wear sandals (Birki girl) year-round except when it snows, and no one seems too grossed out. I don't like it, but I think it's just one of those things I'm going to have to learn to live with.

Fairyflies · 06-04-2005, 11:56 AM

Ditto! I thought I was the only one who has this probblem. My feet are soooo callused and dry right now. I use creams, soaking, scrapers and stuff like that but the one thing I found that works is called Awakenings for Feet. I think the website is: www.awakeningskincare.com
I buy their hand cream and the stuff is phenomenal. Not greasy or anything and dissipates in about 30 seconds. Good stuff!

Allison. · 06-04-2005, 01:44 PM

I just saw a commercial

for Lamisil foot cream (says for dry and cracked skin). I am going to go and see if Wal-mart has it. Hey I'm excited!

~*~TammyLynn~*~ · 06-04-2005, 02:09 PM

I just got done using a pumice stone on my feet and a scraper and loading them up with lotion. I have this trouble all year long but mostly notice it when it gets warm enough for sandals and flip flops. I wear flip flops all the time! I dont let it stop me though. I just try to remember to lotion up my feet. Right now I use Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Healing with vaseline and vitamin e in it. I also get some psoriasis on my arms and it keeps it down as long as I use it twice a day.

JesslvJas · 06-04-2005, 02:28 PM

i have those!!! and its annoying!! im afraid to go to get a pedicure cuz then they get out that razor thing and it makes you want to scream

!!! sometimes i use my foot file thing and grind away, but other times i take an old mach 3 razor and shave it all off. i know, kinda scary

thats when my dh looks at me like i'm crazy! but for me, its not a diabetic problem, i think its genes. my mom has that problem, and my aunt and grandma too. we all wear sandals a lot, but i have the problem even in the winter, when my sandals are nowhere to be seen. my mom and i always yell at eachother when we catch the other one picking off the skin.

i know, gross right? but there have been times when i have picked it off so bad that it hurts and bleeds, then i can barely walk! i have tried kerasal, but didn't find it very effective for my heels. oh well. if they would find a fix for this problem, id be right on it!!

jess

theflyingturtle · 06-04-2005, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M Allison

I just saw a commercial

for Lamisil foot cream (says for dry and cracked skin). I am going to go and see if Wal-mart has it. Hey I'm excited!

lamisil is for a fungus...if it's not a fungus, I am not sure it will help you....

I have nasty feet---I hate them---and I love wearing sandals. I have fungus toenails too---my dad is a podiatrist and he won't let me take those meds cause he says they kill your liver and are not very effective at all.

I too try to hide my feet.

Sneez · 06-04-2005, 03:02 PM

So happy to see I am not alone in this! Mine isn't the heels so much, but rather the large part before the big toe. One foot is worse than the other and almost constantly has a deep crack. I went for a spa pedicure and they did a good job of working on it, but of course lectured me that I needed to keep lotion on all the time and "need" to do the pedicures every two weeks to stop this. I have had this problem for as long as I can remember, I don't expect a bi weekly pedicure and some daily lotion to magically make it stop now. I do have DH work with the cheese grater thing, then we use the brush on it to get off loose dead skin, then the file and pumice part, too. I bought my 4 part foot thing from dollar tree and love it! I normally have him work on them after I have soaked in my foot spa with double action foot soak from avon. I recall as a teen that sometimes I could use some sort of lotion or other at night and then sleep in socks (I almost never wear socks because my feet sweat even worse in them and I can't stand the stench while standing up even) with the lotion thickly on. Then it would seemingly make things much better without doing all of this, but now it seems that nothing works for too long. I do have to admit that my feet were nice and smooth for about a week or so after the pedicure, though.

chanchan · 06-04-2005, 03:05 PM

I have this problem too. I can't completely get rid on the firm skin on my heel but I no longer have the cracks or deep ravine like splits. I get monthly pedicures, I swear you feel like you are walking on butter afterwards, so worth it. I maintain it daily with exfoiliating scrubs from The Body Shop. They moisturize while they exfoiliate so its a little better than a pumice stone IMHO. (plus how can you go wrong with softer feet that smell like mango or coconut!) Also, the best thing I ever found was the Spa Socks from Borghese. Its like having a face lift for your feet. They are a bit pricey but so worth it. Here are links to both the scrubs and the spa socks

http://www.thebodyshop.com/bodyshop/...oryId=cat20081

http://www.borghese.com/product_deta...=26&pid=487628

Man, I really am a product junkie! My sister even refers to my bath products as "Shower Condiments"