How to fix cracked heels and more

Last week we spoke in our #WednesdayWisdom all about what cracked heels are and what causes them, if you missed it we have popped it here for you to catch up! Continuing on with this today we wanted to go through why you should see a podiatrist about your cracked heels, how they can help you, and also what you can do in the meantime to help prevent your heels from worsening before you can get to your appointment.

I have cracked heels, what do I do?

So now that you understand what cracked heels are and what may have caused them, it is time to get them sorted! It is best if you have caught them before they are painful, but no matter the severity of the cracking, it is important to come and see a Podiatrist, this includes if it is currently just the lines in the heel area before they become cracks, as they can not only help in the treatment of the heels but also can give you lots of advice on how to stop them getting worse and prevent them for the future. Dependent on the severity of the heels the podiatrists have multiple different treatments that they may do, as said above this is most likely to involve advice, but can also include exfoliating and debriding (removing the hard skin) on the heels. They will then often go through a routine plan with you, discussing different hydration techniques for the heels, how to properly exfoliate them yourself and shoe advice.

I'm waiting for my podiatry appointment, what can I do in the meantime?

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! This word cannot be said enough, it is so key in many aspects of our body, and also makes a huge difference to your skin! Try and drink additional water throughout the day to help with the hydration of the body, also hydrate the heels by using a good nourishing cream (we recommend the Dr Anders range to keep your feet hydrated and well-nourished available in our online store), ensuring that it is fully absorbed into the foot before walking. If the heels are at a point when they are split or bleeding, mention this when booking your appointment and we can ask a podiatrist for advice specifically for you in the lead up to your appointment, where the podiatrist can then treat your heels and give you further advice on what to do going forward. If your heels are less cracked and more just the dry skin, then it is possible for you to use a foot file on the heel area whilst waiting for your appointment, we would advise using a soft foot rasp such as the one that you can buy from our online shop. When filing your heels always ensure your feet are dry to avoid causing further damage to the skin, we suggest before a bath or shower as this is an easy way to then wash off any foot file dust.

Not sure that cracked heels are what is causing your heel pain? Why not check out our blog on all things heel pain; Got heel pain? You're in the right place and don't forget you can book an appointment online to see one of our podiatrists for further advice and treatment. We look forward to seeing you in clinic soon.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Ask The Expert - exercises to prevent injury

by Sarah Pellumbi • 14 Jul, 2022

Easy Exercise To Prevent Injury

Your Legs Matter

by Sarah Pellumbi • 13 Oct, 2021

11th-15th of October sees allied health professionals and GPs as well as a number of charities across the foot and lower limb related sector recognise "legs matter week". The Legs Matter campaign website (www.legsmatter.org) states that "non-healing wounds of the leg and foot are one of the UK’s biggest health challenges. Despite this, conditions of the leg and foot do not currently receive the care or attention they urgently need. Every day, thousands of people’s quality of life is devastated by the lack of awareness, prompt diagnosis and correct treatment of lower leg and foot conditions."

Elderly feet with the heading; the benefits of warm wax therapy and medical pedicures for older p

Aesthetic Services Benefits for Older People

by Sarah Pellumbi • 01 Oct, 2021

With the introduction of aesthetic therapies to FootHealth Battersea come a number of services that not only help your feet to look and feel fantastic but also provide a number of medical benefits. Warm wax therapy is a clinical service disguised as a spa treatment that will leave you with baby soft skin as well as reducing aches and pains caused by conditions such as arthritis, stiff joints and plantar fasciitis. Warm wax therapy can particularly benefit older people who are more prone to conditions affecting circulation and hydration as the therapy increases blood flow and hydrates the skin with intensive moisturising properties. In addition the therapy helps with aches and pains in the feet with often instantaneous relief. Whilst warm wax therapy is suitable for most patients, it is not to be used on people with broken skin or extreme circulatory issues, please check with your practitioner if you are concerned or have any questions regarding the treatment.

Aesthetics the Aseptic way - making sure your Pedicure is Pod approved

by Sarah Pellumbi • 07 Sept, 2021

2021 has been a year of change for us here at FootHealth Battersea. We have a new Podiatry and practitioner team, new remote receptionists helping our existing reception team and finally (for now!) new services and treatments, providing more even more options for our patients to receive the best foot care possible. One of these new services that we are so excited to bring to the FootHealth Battersea offering is Aesthetics provided by our resident Foot Health Practitioner Jess. Below, Jess talks about how she came to work in foot health as well as why combining her aesthetic background with her medical knowledge provides a 'Podiatrist approved' medical pedicure/medi pedi and aesthetic service.

Six ways to look after your baby's feet

29 Apr, 2021

Newborn baby feet are some of the most beautiful things on the planet! They are teeny tiny and sometimes looking after them can be a bit daunting. It is sometimes a bit difficult to think of looking after something so small, especially when you have a newborn baby and are often sleep-deprived and trying to get to terms with your new responsibilities, their little feet can slip in the list of things to do. We wanted to give you a quick guide on how to look after your beautiful new babies feet! When a baby is born they have only 22 bones that are still only partially developed, baby's feet are a mass of cartilage and will continue to develop until they are in their late teens and have 26 adult bones. So, how do we look after them?

Gloved hands treating a pair of feet to a pedicure using red nail varnish

Picking the Perfect Place for a Pedicure

01 Apr, 2021

Okay, so who else is super excited about everything beauty reopening within the next couple of weeks?! I for one cannot wait for a haircut! Of course, the other thing reopening as part of this, are nail bars, pedicurists, manicurists, and nail technicians. We thought that this would be a really important time to talk to you about the dos and don'ts when choosing someone to trust with the beauty of your feet. With nail technicians getting booked up quickly, we know that you may not be able to get an appointment at your normal nail bar, so we thought we would lay out an easy set of things to check before your beauty appointment.

Two people toasting with champagne to celebrate podiatrists healing heels

Got Heel Pain? You're in the right place!

by Sarah Pellumbi • 29 Mar, 2021

We cannot believe that this is it, the finale to the #podshealheels fortnight! We wanted to ensure that it would be super easy for you to find any of the information that we have shared over the last 2 weeks from our #PodsHeelHeals fortnight, so that should you at any point want to give it a re-read, follow the exercises or want to find a fun activity for the kids, it is all in one place. Below you will find everything that has come out over the last two weeks. We look forward to seeing you soon!

feet stepped on a scale reading 'good', next to mini dumbbells and a pear

8 Exercises To Get Your Heels Fighting Fit

26 Mar, 2021

We have reached the end of our #PodsHealHeels fortnight, and we hope that we have managed to give you lots of information on what heel pain can be caused by, but, also that we can help you with it! We know that during these times it may be more difficult for you to get to us and therefore, we wanted to give you some exercises you can do until your appointment. These are super simple exercises that need very little equipment (just a couple of things that can often be found around the house) and that can be done super quick! As always if you feel any additional pain with these exercises it is important to stop immediately and rest the painful area as much as possible. These stretches should all be done gently to help ease pain not to cause more issues.