What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (2024)

Key takeaways:

  • Most often, cracked heels come from things like dry skin, wearing the wrong shoes, and spending a lot of time on your feet, but there are a few medical conditions that might also cause cracking.

  • Home remedies like foot soaks and creams are very effective in treating cracked heels.

  • If you have diabetes, your feet need special care. In this case, see a foot specialist like a podiatrist or dermatologist for any problems with your heels or feet.

What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (1)

Cracked heels happen when the skin around your heels gets dry and splits apart. Not only is the look of cracked heels unsightly, but sometimes they can be painful, too. The good news is there are several ways you can take care of the skin on your heels. Read on to learn more.

What factors increase your likelihood of having cracked heels?

The skin on your heels is unique. It needs to stand up to a lot of stress. Things that can increase your chances of having cracked heels are:

  • Long hours of standing and walking

  • Sports and activities

  • Anything that rubs or causes friction against the heel

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The heel’s skin is usually a little thicker than other places on your body. But when it’s exposed to mechanical stress from activities or constant rubbing on the skin, it can get even thicker. This is called hyperkeratosis. It can happen in other body areas, too, and will cause things like calluses.

Once the heel skin is thicker or hyperkeratotic, the pressure on your heels when you stand makes the heel skin spread out further. The thick, dry skin is now more likely to crack. Fissure is another word that’s sometimes used instead of heel cracks.

While dry, thick skin is the most likely reason for cracked heels, a few other conditions can also cause cracked heels. These are discussed below.

What are some conditions that might cause your heels to crack?

Certain medical conditions can increase heel dryness that leads to cracking.

Dry skin conditions

Your skin needs just the right balance of moisture to keep it healthy. Too much moisture and your heels can crack more easily. But if they get too dry, they will also crack. If you have a medical condition that causes dry skin, you are more likely to get dry, cracked heels:

  • Eczema or atopic dermatitis: a chronic skin condition that causes dry itchy rashes

  • Psoriasis: an autoimmune skin disease that causes thick skin patches that might be painful or itch

Other medical conditions

Some of these other medical conditions that can lead to cracking are:

  • Diabetes: If you have diabetes, you might develop neuropathy. This type of nerve damage usually affects the feet and legs. Neuropathy makes your feet sweat less. While that might sound like a good thing, it leads to the skin drying out too much and cracking more easily.

  • Peripheral vascular disease (PVD): PVD causes thin, brittle skin on the lower legs and feet because of changes in circulation. When you have PVD, your heels are more likely to dry and crack.

  • Hypothyroidism: When you have thyroid disease, your skin might be dryer.

  • Overweight or obese: When you weigh more, there is more pressure that your feet and heels need to support. Carrying extra weight changes the shape of the heel when you stand, and it can crack more easily.

Does weather cause your heels to crack?

The weather plays a big part in how hydrated or how much moisture your skin has. Your skin, including your heels, will be drier if:

  • You live where the air is very dry.

  • You spend most of your time in the air conditioning.

This is especially true if you spend a lot of your time barefoot.

You may notice that your heels crack more during the summer months. This might be because of the hot weather drying your skin out more. Or it could be because you are spending more time in air conditioning. It could also be the opposite: If you sweat a lot or spend lots of time in the water, your heels will stay moist and break down more with any pressure or friction.

Does wearing sandals cause your heels to crack?

Unfortunately, sandals are a problem. Sandals don’t provide support for the fatty heel pad. Instead of supporting your heel, they let that skin spread out more when you stand and walk, allowing the skin to crack. Any footwear that doesn’t have a closed back to cover the heel can cause this problem.

What are the best remedies for cracked heels?

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to treat cracked heels on your own. The best treatment is to prevent cracks from happening in the first place, so care for your feet by wearing proper footwear with a closed heel.

If you have cracks that aren’t too deep and aren’t painful, you can try treating them at home using these remedies:

  • Moisturize: Apply an emollient cream to your heels at least twice a day. Look for a thick cream or lanolin. Some over-the-counter products include Aquaphor and Eucerin. Emollients soften and add moisture to your skin.

  • Foot soaks: Soak your feet in warm water for about 10 minutes. After soaking lightly, use a pumice stone on the thickened skin areas.

  • Heel cup inserts: These devices keep the heel supported, so it doesn’t spread out and crack when you stand and walk.

  • Padded socks: Just like proper footwear, padded socks protect your heels from rubbing against the inside of your shoes.

If you’ve tried these things and your heels aren’t getting better, or you have deep painful cracks, it’s time to see your healthcare provider. They may prescribe a medicated cream for you to use on your heels. Or they may try applying a cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive to let the skin heal. This is a super-glue-like product that coats and protects the heel cracks.

What is the best cream for cracked feet?

There isn’t one product that is the best. Still, what if emollient creams don’t seem to work for you? In that case, you can try an over-the-counter moisturizer that has alpha-hydroxy-acid (AHA), salicylic acid (SA), or urea 10% to 25% added to it. The ingredients are called keratolytic agents, which means they can break down the extra thick skin caused by hyperkeratosis. Cerave and Cetaphil are two brands that have plain creams or formulas containing SA and AHA.

As the thickened heel skin gets better, look for a cream for everyday use that contains:

  • Ceramides

  • Petrolatum

  • Lanolin

  • Natural oils

Are pumice stones good for your cracked heels?

One last thing: You might wonder about using a pumice stone. Pumice stones can help remove thick calluses and heel skin. But you shouldn’t try them if you have diabetes or neuropathy. You might remove too much skin and risk getting an infection.

Instead, you’ll want to see a healthcare professional like a podiatrist (foot specialist) or dermatologist (skin specialist). As long as you don’t have diabetes or neuropathy, it's OK to try a pumice stone. Use very light pressure to remove the extra or dead skin when soaking your feet, and stop if it feels uncomfortable.

The bottom line

There are many reasons you might get cracked heels. Sometimes it’s a medical condition. But, most often, it's caused by dry heel skin. Properly caring for your feet by wearing shoes with a closed heel and using cream on your feet can help. Remember that as nice as your summer sandals might look or feel, they might be part of the problem and make your heels worse.

What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (6)

Why trust our experts?

What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (7)

Written by:

Windy Watt, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

Windy Watt, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with 30 years of experience. She has an extensive background in critical care, internal medicine, family practice, and urgent care.

What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (8)

Reviewed by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (9)Our editorial standards

What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (10)Meet our experts

References

American Academy of Dermatology Association. (2022). Thyroid disease: A checklist of skin, hair, and nail changes.

American Colleges of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. (2022). Cracked heels.

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Advancing Foot and Ankle Medicine and Surgery. (2022). Avoiding a sandal scandal.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Hashmi, F., et al., (2015). Characterising the biophysical properties of normal and hyperkeratotic foot skin. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research.

Institute for Preventive Foot Health. (2022). Cracked Heels.

National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Emollient.

National Cancer Institute. (n.d.). Hyperkeratosis.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2018). What is diabetic neuropathy?

The Pharmaceutical Journal. (2021). Heel fissures.

Vlahovic, T., et. al., (2011). A review of cyanoacrylate liquid skin protectant and its efficacy on pedal fissures. Journal of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists.

GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.

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What Are the Best Methods for Treating Cracked Heels? - GoodRx (2024)

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