The summer months are brutal on your feet, especially your heels. Wearing flip flops and sandals everywhere you go, with nothing protecting your feet from the elements can leave you with cracked and rough heels that are unsightly, uncomfortable and, in extreme cases, can lead to infections. Stop your rough heel problem before it gets to that point! Here are three ways to safely fix your rough heels.
Moisturize. One of the main causes of your feet cracking is the fact that your feet aren’t properly moisturized. As the weather changes from the summer warmth to the dry, cold winter, it’s easy for feet to dry out. Thoroughly moisturize your feet as part of your morning or nightly routine to help add moisture and promote healthy skin. In addition to moisturizing your feet, increasing the amount of water you drink in a day helps.
Exfoliate. Regular exfoliation removes dead and calloused skin from your heels, which helps prevent cracking. Foot scrubbers, exfoliating body wash and other exfoliating scrubs gently smooth the rough skin off of your feet. You can also use a pumice stone to thin out the callouses and remove rough patches. Just avoid any kind of grating or blade device that can harbor bacteria or risk injury.
Dead skin and callous removal by a podiatrist. Are your callouses impenetrable and you aren’t making any headway with moisturizing either? A podiatrist has equipment available to remove extensive amounts of dead skin and callouses from your feet safely.