Cracked heels are a very common foot problem and can range from mild dryness to painful deep cracks in the skin. For many people, cracked heels develop gradually when dry skin builds up on the heel and eventually splits under pressure when walking or standing.

As a podiatrist with over a decade of experience, I regularly see patients whose problems could have been avoided with a few small changes to their daily habits. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about keeping your feet healthy at home.

Sometimes it’s just a bit of rough or flaky skin around the heel area. But in other cases, the skin becomes chronically dry, starts to split, and forms painful cracks known as heel fissures.

The skin on the soles of your feet is much thicker than the skin elsewhere on the body and even has an extra epidermal layer, which is why standard body moisturisers often don’t work well.