Author: Foot Doc
Date: 3/31/2007 3:36 pm PDT
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DISCLAIMER:
THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS- ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, AND/OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
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It is unlikely that taking vitamins or minerals either by mouth or parenteral will do anything for dry and cracked skin. Although there are certainly some metabolic, dermatologic and disease conditions which can cause dry skin, the majority of incidents of dry skin on the feet are cause by lack of sufficient intra-cellular water. This cannot be replaced, but other medication can be employed to temporarily simulate the effect of such water and control the situation. Conversely, overly frequent soaking of the skin and even excessive sweating can result in dryness of the skin which is then prone to cracking.
The first thing to do is to have a medical evaluation to determine if your dry and cracked skin is the result of a metabolic disorder or a disease process. If that is the case, or if it is the result of a dermatologic condition, the underlying condition needs to be addressed first. If, it is the result of excessive sweating, that needs to be treated. If it is limited to the heels and is the result of a combination of excessive body weight and the wearing of shoes without counters, such as flip-flops, appropriate shoe wear needs to be worn.
But if it is solely the garden-variety dry skin commonly seen on the foot, there are a number of products, some employing various chemicals such as urea, and others using emollients can prove useful. I like to use common Vaseline, applied generously at bedtime after bathing, using a sock over the foot and repeating a lighter application in the morning. I generally advise avoiding the use of cream-based preparations for simple dryness, as they tend to cause further drying.
But of great importance. where there are cracks or fissures in the skin, there is a chance of bacterial invasion, and care must be taken to treat the fissures as wounds.
Prior to attempting any self-treatment, I would advise seeing an appropriate medical specialist for an evaluation and diagnosis, as not all treatments may be applicable and safe for all such otherwise seemingly similar conditions.
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