Heel Fissures – Ouch!

In the middle of summer, one of the more common things I see are heel fissures – deep cracks in the callused part of your heel. They can be quite painful, and for diabetic patients, can present a real danger of infection and complications.

Calluses develop on your feet where there is a point of friction and the area around your heel naturally develops a callus. During the summer months, we tend to wear open styled sandals that do not provide support around the heel and the callus develops much faster than normal. As we walk around and move our feet, the skin around the heel expands and contracts and when the heel is thickly callused, the only way for skin expansion is by cracking. Eventually the fissures deepen and may even bleed, resulting in a very painful experience.

What you can do:

• Limit your time in sandals when you can.
• Hydrate your feet. We have some wonderful creams here at the clinic that are specifically made for cracks.
• Use a pumice stone or other good foot file to sand away dead skin and calluses. Never cut away at calluses.
• Apply a heavy cream, then wear socks to bed to hold in the moisture.
• Find appropriate summer footwear that provides more support than typical sandals. I can help!

If they do become too deep and painful, please give me a call or send me an email for an appointment for proper treatment and more education on how to prevent this common summertime ailment.

–Dr. Frank, 541-385-7129