Surprising Cracked Feet Causes You Never Thought About
Did you know some cracked feet causes are from lack of good health?
And not just your foot health, but your overall health.
You see, we all have had those days where we vow to be better to ourselves and our bodies.
Usually, this comes in the form of a New Year’s Resolution, where we look at people with envious lives and bodies and strive to be like them.
Seeing happy people with happy lives and happy bodies inspires us to go to the gym, to drink more water, to have constant and routine ‘self-care’ days as a break from our busy, stressful lives.
Caring for ourselves and our bodies will always lead to a healthier and happier life and when we make such a goal, we should stick to it.
The first step of healthcare is always figuring out what is wrong and also figuring out how that specific situation came to be.
The reasoning behind a medical issue is important to understand so as to find the best cure and treatment possible for the issues.
Furthermore, we should also be looking at our bodily health in areas that we do not usually think to focus on.
We might always be aware of a sore throat, a cough or bad skin condition, we do not usually think of those areas that might be out of sight in our everyday lives. What area might that be? Our feet, of course.
You’d Be Surprised at What Cracked Feet Causes Tell You About Your Health–Inside and Out!
Feet have always had the worst end of the deal.
Hidden away for most of the day and night, in socks or uncomfortable shoes, they don’t usually have a watchful eye over their condition. They are overworked and constantly surrounded by a sweaty smell, which makes them even less desirable for observation.
With the stink and distance (quite literally!) that keeps us away from our feet, we may not be privy to a lot of things that go on down there.
Because we literally do not inspect them on most days (well, most of us…), it is easy to just not think about the different things that affect our feet on a daily basis.
And trust it when we say that there are many contributing factors.
This is why foot infections, diseases and all around pain and medical issues are usually passed off without much concern.
This practice is extremely dangerous as it could lead to many more and worse situations!
Cracked Feet Causes and Foot Health
One of the most common complaints about foot health is cracked feet.
Many people suffer from not only unsightly, but painfully dry and cracked feet that bring about a slew of mental and physical anguish.
It can be very difficult to deal with if you don’t understand cracked foot causes, as you might be contributing to your condition without even thinking about it! Cracked foot causes do vary, so one should be cautious in the situations they put themselves in when they are trying to figure out their own personal cause.
Let’s take a look at a few popular ones, shall we?
#1. Not So Hot Feet When You Take Hot Showers
This one is probably a guilty pleasure of many…excessively hot showers or baths.
“What? That’s actually a cracked foot cause?”
Yes. It really is, sadly.
It comes as a terrible revelation to those who live for those steamy, boiling, almost scalding showers (don’t feel bad. We cried, too, when we learned this).
There is nothing as satisfying as feeling the hot water hit your skin as the mirrors fog up. It brings about a sense of comfort and relaxation.
But be warned! This comfort and relaxation does not extend to all parts of your body.
While it may be known that many parts of your body are not particularly fond of extremely hot water when showering, such as perhaps your hair or your facial skin, even your feet should not have to go through such situations.
When feet that are already on the dry side are exposed to such temperatures of water, all the moisture that remained gets sucked right out, leaving you left with pruney, dry feet.
They may seem wet and moisturized at first, but as your feet air dry, you will find that they do seem rougher and drier than usual.
Cracks might even start appearing in pattern with your hot showers. The cause and effect fallacy might ring true here.
Lay off the scalding hot showers and notice how quickly your feet return to their normal state.
Hurrah!
(Love taking hot showers? Try this moisturizing foot cream after that scalding hot shower of yours.)
#2. That Soap Sure Smells Pretty, But It Sure Doesn’t Make Your Feet Pretty
Still, in the bathroom, we turn to our next suspect for a solution for cracked feet causes!
A non-moisturizing or irritant soap might be the cause behind your unsightly feet if you are one who takes ice-cold showers-you monster!
The soap you use will have a big impact on how your skin reacts afterwards.
That squeaky clean feeling you have grown to love is actually tearing you apart! Non-moisturizing soap could be sucking out all that moisture your feet are holding and leaving them with the ugly and painful cracks you despise!
Check the ingredients in your soap to make sure that there are no irritating and drying products. For one thing, fragrances are usually not recommended for those with sensitive skin, even for your feet.
#3. Watch Out For These Ingredients In Your Soaps, Moisturizers and Any Foot Care Products
For a specific list, read and educate yourself on the following harmful ingredients:
- Sodium lauryl sulfate, also known as SLS, is a chemical agent that works to make soap foam the way we love it to. However, bubbles aside, sodium lauryl sulfate is extremely harsh and drying for the skin and could be the reason your feet crack easily.
- Triclosan is another one. This is antibacterial and antimicrobial, but at the cost of the moisture in your skin.
- Third is lye. Lye is a concentrated and watery mixture of sodium hydroxide, or sometimes of potassium hydroxide. In some cases, lye is even combined with different animal fats for a bar of soap. This extremely corrosive and irritating ingredient should definitely be looked out for when showering or bathing!
- Polypropylene is a possible carcinogen and should be avoided whenever possible.
- Lastly, FD&C dyes or synthetic dyes that add a dash of color to our baths and soaps can be not so fun sometimes. Petrochemicals in the dye can be very irritating for our skin! So, before you turn off your hot showers altogether, take a look at what exactly you are scrubbing yourself clean with for a better understanding about the health of your poor feet!
Instead of these nasty ingredients, try using some of these natural products instead!
#4. Humid Climates Tend to Make For Another Cracked Feet Cause
People in Thailand complain about this issue a lot and by knowing the exact details behind causes of cracked feet, they were able to tackle the issue directly. No, not by moving out of Thailand.
Humidifiers and other equipment help to control humidity and therefore the cracked feet. Weather can also be a big concern in the winter of course.
And Then There’s Cold Air…
The cold, dry weather reflects itself straight in the situation on your feet. The cracked heels ultimately show you just how cold it really is outside.
We should always be aware of the weather and temperatures outside as they really do affect us in more ways than we know.
Time to slather on that moisturizing foot cream! (Find awesome DIY foot creams here!)
If we are prepared for sudden weather changes, we can handle their effects on our body more easily as well because we will be able to pinpoint the changes and react to them correctly.
#5. We’ve Told You Before, and We’ll Tell You Again: DRINK WATER
Another common cause that most of us seem to forget when pondering about our cracked feet is our daily intake of water.
This should seem obvious, but it does come as a surprise to many. Clearly, the amount of water we take in will of course directly relate to the moisture levels that your feet retain.
Without any water intake or less than the recommended water intake, water requirements in our bodies go out of whack.
And the moisture retained in our feet is the first to go, causing all the dry, cracked and rough skin around our feet.
(Tired of buying water bottles? Get a Brita Sports Water Filter Bottle. You’ll thank us later.)
To combat this, we really should be focusing on upping our water intake as a New Year’s resolution, as it can tackle a lot of different issues with just one resolution, and isn’t that the best way?
Multi-tasking gets a lot of things done with the least amount of effort.
2.7 liters seems to be the average recommended water intake daily for women, and three point seven is the amount for men.
If you figure out that this is one of the causes of cracked feet, you’re set. You already have a game plan – drinking more water – so you are already on your way to having softer, more supple feet!
#6. M-M-M-MOISTURIZE!
Something else that can seem obvious when thinking of cracked feet causes – moisturization itself.
How many people slather on thick, rich foot creams after every shower, bath, or every night? Sadly, not many can say that they actually do this every day.
So how can we complain about dried out, crusty feet when we are not supplying them with the one thing that is specifically marketed towards dryness – moisturizer.
Stepping out of a bath, no matter what the temperature and even when using non-irritating soaps, our feet still need that extra bit of moisturizer to retain their softness.
After all, we buy specific face creams and body lotions, so why not for our feet?
There are special foot creams marketed towards those with stubborn, cracked feet so it may be a good idea to invest in a top-quality brand for those top-quality feet.
After all, why not do everything in our power to actually massage those cracks away?
That’s right, lotions and massages go hand in hand and can prove to be extremely relaxing.
Get a significant other on that job as soon as possible! Maybe it can even spark up some romance – foot rubs are always appreciated!
A Word of Caution to This Tale…
And finally, sometimes, ultra-dry and cracked feet may just be a cause or symptom of something more serious.
There do exist some illnesses that unfortunately come with a side of irritated and dry feet that can be categorized as cracked feet causes.
One of these diseases is thyroid. In fact, thyroid is so closely related to feet that many people first find out about their impairment through symptoms of the feet.
Hypothyroidism slows blood circulation greatly, leading to chronic coldness in the foot and therefore, dryness and cracks.
Furthermore, if these cracks turn into wounds, it becomes all the more serious, as wounds on the feet take a much longer time to heal.
Diabetes is another example. Those diagnosed with diabetes have to suffer through a myriad of foot problems. This is because when glucose levels rise, the body loses fluids and therefore, dryness occurs in the skin. Diabetes also changes the blood flow and can cause nerve damage easily.
Eczema is a third illness that can badly affect feet. The very definition of the disease includes itching, dryness, and blisters. Those who have eczema and foot issues such as cracked feet need to take much more care of their feet.
Those with diabetes and thyroid and eczema all need to take special care of their feet, with the help of a licensed physician. Home remedies and online solutions will not work for them and maybe even make it worse.
When All Else Fails, We Urge You to Visit Your Doctor
A controllable disease that could also contribute to cracked heels is obesity.
This is because having extra weight on the heel pad of your foot can cause it to expand further. If the skin on your feet is already a bit dry, the extra pressure could be the last thing needed for it to explode in little cracks and fissures of dry skin.
The cure here would be more difficult than other cures, as it requires a whole lifestyle change, but only good things can come out of it and healthier feet is just one of the advantages of losing weight.
Overall, we have gone over most of the probable (and most surprising) cracked feet causes.
There must be something on this list that is the direct culprit behind the condition of your feet! It is important to fully understand exactly why a situation is the way it is and the reason for that is so you can directly counter it.
Without knowing the reason for the condition of your feet, you might be trying the wrong things. Changing your water temperature won’t have an effect on you if you don’t even moisturize your poor feet after stepping out of the bath!
