Cracked feet are a violation of the integrity of the dry and rough skin due to a significant decrease in its elasticity. Dry skin of the feet cannot effectively withstand the pressure caused by the weight of the body while standing and the load during movement, so it eventually cracks. Cracks do not heal well, or their size and number increase if nothing changes in foot care and lifestyle. Often a deep cracked foot causes pain when walking.
In another variant, a corn appears on the dry skin, a rough, painful area of skin where an ulcer or callus can develop over time. One foot can have both cracks and corns.
Causes of foot cracks and corns:
Individual peculiarities of moisturizing, collagen and elastin renewal rate in the skin may not be associated with any pathology. This problem is often the result of insufficient foot hygiene, lack of additional care beyond washing, or the use of too alkaline soap. With age, the skin's ability to regenerate decreases, it is less moisturized, so this must be compensated for with more careful care.
Other causes of cracks can be:
- Flat feet in combination with high stress on the feet, lack of orthopedic shoes and insoles, often cause deterioration of the skin of the feet.
- Improperly fitted shoes or frequent barefoot walking contribute to the coarsening of the skin of the feet, which can lead to corns and cracks.
- Metabolic diseases, in particular diabetes mellitus, have one of the complications of poor nutrition of the foot tissues. Therefore, people with diabetes should visit a podiatrist regularly for professional care and monitoring of their feet, as the appearance of even a small crack in them can be fatal.
- Insufficient thyroid function affects tissue metabolism, so feet can often be overdried.
- Metabolic disorders due to poor nutrition, use of certain medications, stress, etc. Restoration of the normal condition of the feet is possible after the metabolism is restored in combination with adequate care.
- Increased keratinization, ichthyosis, leads to rapid coarsening and drying of the skin of the feet, with the appearance of corns and cracks. Therefore, regular professional foot care is also necessary in this case.
- Infectious lesions of the foot skin, in particular fungus, significantly affect the condition of the skin, its moisture and elasticity. After treatment, the normal condition of the feet can be restored.
Treatment of foot cracks and corns in Dobrobut
In the treatment of cracks and corns, hardware treatment of the feet is combined with the use of drugs and professional care. It is important to take into account the causes of pathological changes in the foot and, if possible, eliminate them so that the problem does not return again.
In the presence of painful areas on the feet, bleeding cracks, healing ointments and creams are preliminarily used, which the podologist applies under the bandage. Foot treatment is performed after such preparation.
A podiatrist can use chemical peeling with an acid-containing cream until mechanical treatment can be performed in full or is contraindicated.
Mechanical treatment of the feet during treatment is prescribed once a month. The procedure is performed with a milling machine using agents that accelerate and improve the exfoliation of dead cells. After the layer of dead skin is removed, skin care and treatment products can reach exactly where they are needed. The Dobrobut podiatrist will closely monitor the reaction to the treatment and adjust the prescription if necessary. Therefore, we ask our patients to tell us about anything that bothers them during the therapy and ask questions.