Suffering with Dry Cracked Feet? – What are the causes and how should it treated?

January 5, 2010 | By Robbie In healthy lifestyle |

Dry Cracked Feet is a condition that can be extremely painful and in turn lead to considerable distress and pain. It is crucial therefore that you recognize the causes, symptoms and what are the avaliable treatment options available for dry, cracked feet.

Causes

Dry skin can actually affect any part of the body, but the soles of your feet are very susceptible to this condition as they, like the palms of your hands, lack sebaceous ( oil) glands to help keep them lubricated. These glands secrete sebum, which helps to prevent the evaporation of moisture from the skin. Remember also, that dry skin can be the result of a nutritional deficiency. Be mindful in particular of vitamins A,B complex, C, D or E. Some sufferers find that rubbing lotion on your feet on a daily basis may help to ease the condition- it is crucial that basic foot care becomes a routine daily habit.

Symptoms

You need first of all to rule out that the dryness and cracks on your feet are not in fact caused by Athlete’s foot. If they are then seek specific treatment for this condition. Having ruled this out then we are left with a likely cause of neglect! By ignoring your feet and basic foot care, including choosing inappropriate footwear, the result may be painful and unpleasant consequences. This will include at times – rough, dry and sometimes painful skin. Calluses can form on your heels and balls of your feet, and on your toes. They can then thicken and in turn crack and harden if action is not taken to pare down and soften. Walking in turn can become extremely painful. If you exercise, your feet perspire a lot. In warmer months this will not pose such a problem, but in winter, the air is drier and colder and your soft, sweaty feet will dry and crack after removing your running shoes if you don’t care for them properly

Treatment and Prevention

If you’ve allowed your feet to become hard and leathery, you must initially soften them before you can begin the process of healing the dry skin condition.

Try to prevent dry, cracked skin forming by not waiting until winter to start treating them. Begin instead at the end of summer with some preventative maintenance so that you never reach the dreaded skin-splitting stage.

Do always see a physician, if your feet become resistant to treatment i.e. if they have become extremely hard dry and thick. The elderly in particular often suffer from dry skin problems, this is mainly due to an inability to simply bend over and reach their feet to take care of them. A doctor or other foot specialist would also be of great assistance with their basic foot care needs

Remember that dry cracked feet affects lots of people every year and can be both painful and distressing. However, there are many measures one can take to alleviate or prevent their occurrence. For more free essential advice, information and resources regarding foot problems and the management of sore feet check out http://www.sorefeetsolved.com.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/suffering-with-dry-cracked-feet-what-are-the-causes-and-how-should-it-treated-1665426.html

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