Heel fissures occur when the skin on the bottom, outer edge of the heel becomes hard, dry and flaky. The hard build up of the skin that forms is called callus. This forms because of irritation or friction when a shoe repeatedly rubs against one part of the foot. A callus can be thick or thin and forms in many shapes and patterns on the heel of the foot. When this happens it can cause deep fissures, which can be painful, bleed or become infected or may be fungus based.
This uncomfortable condition is caused by a variety of reasons, usually related to dry skin, but also prolonged standing (especially on hard floors), weight, open back shoes (which allow the fat under the heel to expand sideways with the pressure leading to cracked skin), and medical conditions such as fungus, diabetes, or psoriasis. If heel fissures are not treated and become deep and infected it could be dangerous, especially for people with diabetes or compromised immune systems.
You can treat heel fissures with over the counter treatments such as an oil based moisturizing cream, using a pumice stone to reduce thickness of hard skin and also avoid open backed or thick soled shoes. Moisturizing your feet regularly, recommended twice a day, can also help prevent heel fissures.
If the condition doesn’t improve or if you are a diabetic, its advised to visit our office and have Dr. Bowman treat the problem. Houston Foot Specialists carry a variety of recommended products for this condition.
