Moms - I have had horrible feet from the time I was 6 or 7 years old. My mom took me to doctors, podiatrists, ect. They never could find anything medically wrong with my feet. They would just crack and bleed...totally normal, right? HA
So, all my life I have had this problem. It seems to get worse when I wear sandles, although I don't know why.
My feet are crusty, hard, and then they get awful cracks on them that become almost cavernous and HURT like a b!tch. It is painful to walk! If I put cream all over my feet and then tennis shoes on I can walk but I can't walk barefoot or anything.
I have tried all kinds of creams, potions, and lotions and a lot of them seem to work, but then if I don't lotion up for a couple of days, CRACK! I am dying again.
First, I am hoping that someone has awful feet like this as well. Second, what do you do to keep them from cracking? I have given up on having nice soft feet....I just don't want the horrible cracks!! Ideas?
L.
(I guess I should tell you what I do to keep them as soft as I can get them so no one suggests it. I will soak them and then use a brush to clean them as well as I can. Then I take a pumice stone and scrub scrub scrub. Then, when I have done that for a 1/2 hour (no exageration) I dry them off good and put on a thick cream...right now it Cetaphil, and then put my socks on. I have also used aquaphore, vaseline, bag balm, vaseling lotion, aveeno....) So, any other suggestions besides that?! I wont go and get a pedicure because the last time I went I got a fungus in both of my big toe nails that I STILL have because I can't take the medicine as a breast feeding mama. I don't want to go and have them tell me that I have fungus feet and cant' get my toes done!)
My husband had cracked heels really bad.. Worse in sandals, chlorine and salt water.. He went about a year ago to his doctor and they gave him a prescription for a topical steroid cream and that is the only thing that works! No creams and soaking made it worse. His family doctor gave him the prescription.
L.
Ok, bad feet person too!!
So, you are doing it about right ... here are some tweaks to your routine. Pumice stone is just not strong enough for what we have - you need a stong sturdy foot file my fav brands are Ulta or Hoof Feet. Soak your feet in warm water with Epsom salt for 20 min at least, then use the Foot File (takes about 10-15 each foot for me to get soft pretty feet :) yes it's possible.) then find a GOOD moisturizer, I like DreamCream by Lush (www.lushusa.com) allow that to soak into your feet, then add Lemony Flutter (www.lushusa.com) to the areas that are the roughest and "fill in" the cracks with it too. Then slather Vaseline on your feet, plastic baggy/socks go to bed. The vaseline is not to moisturize your feet but to HOLD IN what you have put on your feet and keep it where you want it. In the am wash your feet with Stepping Stone (just break off a small peice www.lushusa.com) and get the vaseline off, add a smallish amt of the DreamCream to your feet and get on with your day. If you would like to wear sandals kee the LemonyFlutter with you all day to add to your feet where they tend to crack/dry to keep those areas ok all day. Your feet need constant moisture until they are repaired. I would do what I suggested daily for a week then scale back to every other day until you find the right formula to keep your feet doing well. The more you wear sandals/open shoes the worse your feet will be in general and try to wear house shoes/slippers around the house or at least socks (that's sooo hard for me to do). I have tried them all too and Lush products have been the most helpful. I do not suggest their other feet products to you because they dry feet out due to the Cinnimon ... they are wonderful products but not until you have your feet moisturized better for longer.
Get a foot file. It will scrape off the dead skin after you soak them in warm water.
I use Alpha hydroxy NIghtime Heel Treatment Creme from Ulta. I put it on in the mornign under socks and again at night if my feet are really bad.
If I go barefoot or wear sandals my feet crack too.
There can be several causes. For myself:
That's what my hands, feet, ribcage, (or vajayjay! sniff!) does after several hours of contact with latex over several hours to several days. I have a very SLOW but severe latex allergy. Underwear, lingerie, socks... anything with elastic in it the effect is much slower when mixed with fabric, but my skin breaks down, and then picks up various infections (yeast or other fungal infections, most commonly), and then the "trenches" form. It takes several days to weeks to get bad ((first starts off as just redness/ "hot" feeling (my mum said I had "hot feet" my whole life... well, not once I moved out!), then itching, then burning, then the skin starts blistering/ sloughing/ callousing/ cracking and getting infected)).
So I avoid latex like the plague (CONDOMS are latex!!! Oy!), most SOCKS and underwear and lingerie contain latex elastic.
Sports bras I just have to suffer the fluorescent red ITCHY BURNING line around my ribcage, but I shell out for silk and lace from france for everyday bras, and skip underwear (or wear spandex or more silk and lace), and wear 100% wool socks or nylons whenever possible, nitrile gloves only, etc.
((HINT: if you're allergic to your socks, wool socks will feel MUCH cooler than most cotton socks over the course of a few hours... although if it's a latex allergy THIN cotton socks won't affect you as much as sport socks or fashion socks... because super thin /sheer socks use nylon instead of latex elastic. ALSO buying all new cotton socks every 3 months -and tossing the old ones- helps a great deal, because the cotton hasn't worn away as much from the elastic, so your feet are in less contact with them.))
I would SUSPECT a slow acting allergy like mine. The cause could be latex, elastic/rubber, cotton, or leather. Since you're feet are either wrapped in them or pressed on them for hours at a time, with heat and water to speed up the reaction you'd see the reaction there before anywhere else.
I like the Burt's Bees foot cream in a tube...it has lots of oils in it...and then just be vigilant to use it even when you feet are good, as a preventative. You know what they say about "an ounce of prevention!"
People with diabetes have this problem. But I assume you would know if you had that.
So sorry you have to deal with this. I just had one crack and that was so painful. I really feel for you!
If you haven't tried Shea Butter, you might give that a shot.
j
Have you tried Vicks Vapo rub? dr. Gott in the newspaper has had many articles on this so you can go to his website for more info. It kills the fungus and softens your feet if applied regularly at night with socks. Hope this helps !
I don't have a solution for you, but just wanted to say that my mother had this problem the whole time I knew her. It got much worse in the summer because she refused to stop going barefoot! As a kid, I remember running my fingers over her feet to feel the hard calluses and the cracks. I don't think she ever found a solution, but would try using different creams and lotions as you have.
Have you seen a dermatologist?
