How to Treat Cracked Heels

The American Academy of Dermatology’s routine for dry, cracked heels is six steps, and the central one is a moisturizing cream containing 10 to 25% urea, alpha hydroxy acid, or salicylic acid, applied within 5 minutes of bathing while the skin is still damp. Urea and alpha hydroxy acids are the ingredients dermatology uses specifically because they break down the thick scale that ordinary lotions can’t get through.

The AAD’s six steps

1. Limit baths and showers to 5 to 10 minutes. Bathing for too long dries the skin and makes cracked heels worse. Blot dry gently with a towel.
2. Use a gentle, fragrance-free cleanser, so your feet keep their natural oils.
3. Moisturize within 5 minutes of bathing. Use a cream with 10 to 25% urea, alpha hydroxy acid, or salicylic acid, on damp skin, and reapply whenever the heels feel dry.
4. Before bed, apply plain petroleum jelly. Wear socks over it to keep the grease off the bedding — petrolatum works as an occlusive barrier that holds water in overnight.
5. Protect the cracks during the day with a liquid bandage. It creates a barrier that can reduce pain, speed up healing, and stop germs from entering the skin.
6. Wear the proper shoes. Avoid open-heeled shoes such as flip flops and slingbacks, shoes that are worn down, and shoes that don’t fit properly.

About exfoliating

The AAD’s cracked-heel guidance doesn’t call for exfoliation, a pumice stone, or a foot file, and we’re not going to recommend one on its behalf. What the dermatology literature does endorse for thick scale is chemical, not mechanical: urea and alpha hydroxy acids in the cream itself, which is why step 3 specifies them.

Additional care that helps

• Choose an acidic-pH gentle cleanser over harsh, alkaline soap — deodorant soaps are too harsh for dry skin.
• Run a humidifier if the indoor air is dry, and keep it in the bedroom overnight if it’s a portable unit — see dry heels in winter: causes.
• Wear cotton next to the skin. Wool or polyester can irritate skin that’s already dry.

See the full overview of causes in cracked heels: causes.

How long it takes to improve

We can’t give you a number here honestly: the AAD publishes no expected timeline for cracked heels, and neither does the dry-skin literature we checked. What it publishes instead is a decision rule — if the heels are severe, or they don’t improve after you follow these steps, that is the moment to bring in a dermatologist rather than wait longer.

When to see a dermatologist

Go if the cracked heels are severe or don’t improve with the routine above. Cracked heels are sometimes caused by a medical condition such as diabetes, and broken skin lets microorganisms in — pus or fluid leaking from the area, discoloration, swelling, and pain are signs of a skin infection. Pain and bleeding are covered in cracked heel pain: causes.

This content is informational and does not replace a medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment.