How to Naturally Treat Peeling Feet and Cracked Calluses
Diana | Jan 05, 2010 | Comments 0
Your skin naturally sheds old cells, replacing them with new ones, on a daily basis. In fact, every 28 days or so, your skin has completely shed and replaced itself.
Once in a while, this shedding gets out of hand or becomes problematic. For most of us, that happens on our feet as the heavy calluses on our heels and toe pads thicken, dry, and break.
If this is a genetic problem that is chronic, it is often referred to as Peeling Skin Syndrome and will happen on places other than just your feet.
Calluses are prone to this because they are literally thicker skin cells that retain their adhesion to your body even after death in order to build up a thick protection. Calluses form when an area is rubbed, cut, bruised, or otherwise damaged regularly. Most people have light calluses on their hands, heavier ones on their feet, and often on their elbows as well.
If the weather turns dry, such as in the winter time, or the area is used to high moisture (in socks and shoes) and then is suddenly allowed to dry out (barefoot), this can lead to cracking and peeling. It's uncomfortable and, if the cracks persist, it can become painful as well.
Moisturizers and lotions help, of course, but if you're getting dry and peeling skin on your feet, elbows, or other places, you're likely getting dry skin almost everywhere. It's likely that is because of drier air and higher exposure to harsh conditions. A change of altitude, living climate (moving), or the onset of winter are likely culprits for this.
You probably can't do much about those things, but you can do something about how you treat your skin when these conditions occur. First, use moisturizer on your skin, especially those areas with heavy calluses. Rub it in well before bed time.
Hydrating your home or room with a humidifier will also do a lot towards helping all of your dry skin. Natural moisturizers like olive oil can help too.
Mix olive oil and honey and turmeric powder into a paste. Cover the affected areas (heels, toes, elbows, etc.) with this paste and let it soak for at least ten to fifteen minutes. Then wipe away with a cloth and rinse to get the stickiness off. Do this two or three times a week for optimal skin care. The mixture can be lightly scraped off with a spoon or butter knife and re-used if it is kept in a tight container for storage. It will last several days this way.
Another old remedy is to slice a cucumber and place slices in a sock around your heels and toes overnight. In the morning, take off the sock and throw away the cucumbers. This remedy is hit-and-miss, in my experience, however, so it may or may not work.
Another popular old remedy, especially in the southern states, is to soak walnuts in a bowl of room-temperature water overnight. Pulp them into a paste the next day, add a squirt of lemon juice, and spread this paste on your feet. Wait until it dries out on its own (half an hour or so) and wash it off with warm water.
As always, your diet should be nutritious and healthy as this is the largest contributor to skin maladies and health.
For professional skin care information, please consult with your dermatologist.
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Filed Under: Tips for Healthy Skin Care
