Human feet are not only a part of the body, but also a way of movement. Sometimes heavy loads fall on their share. This applies not only to muscles and bones, but also to the skin. Often, it is the feet that crack the skin, which causes pain.
Cracks in the legs
The occurrence of cracks in the skin of the lower extremities of a person is most often the first bells of dermatitis. Such a disease entails some aesthetic and physiological troubles.
Especially often this happens during the heating season and in the summer. In winter, radiators and air conditioners dry the air, lack of moisture becomes a cause of pathology. In summer, the same problem is a lack of moisture, due to which the skin on the legs crack and cause unpleasant sensations.
First, small incisions appear on the surface of the epidermis. Microbes get there, which do their dark job, as a result of which the incisions grow into cracks. From here comes the onset of pain, discomfort and the accumulation of bacteria and fungi in the affected areas.
Causes of the problem
The formation of the disease can have both physiological and pathological causes. The skin on the legs is cracked due to heavy loads, for example, unsuccessful pedicure, wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes. It is not difficult to get rid of this problem, worse when the disease is complicated by a bacterial or fungal infection. The reason for the problem is different:
- If the shoes are made of low-quality raw materials, then while walking the foot releases a small amount of moisture that is not absorbed, this provides favorable conditions for the spread of harmful bacteria and fungi.
- Often the skin on the legs breaks (especially on the heels) due to wearing slippers. While walking, the shoes hit the heel skin for a long time, disrupting the blood microcirculation. To avoid such a problem, it is better to refuse slaps or wear them infrequently.
- The selection of shoes should be taken seriously. Otherwise, this will provoke the formation of corns or corns on the foot.
- If the skin is cracked on the toes, the causes most often lie in very dry skin. A poorly moisturized epidermis loses its protective qualities. Deodorants for the legs with drying properties can aggravate the situation. From them, the skin coarsens and begins to crack.
- Improper nutrition. Any living organism needs proper nutrition. With a lack of retinol and tocopherol, the skin will begin to dry and crack.
- With diabetes, blood circulation and the supply of food to the fingers and feet are disturbed. Delayed treatment can lead to skin lesions by fungi, infection, and gangrene.
- Hormonal imbalance and the onset of menopause contribute to disruption of blood circulation in the limbs.
Often the epidermis simply lacks vitamins and minerals, its elasticity decreases and cracks appear.
Damage to the skin between the toes
Fungus is a serious pathology. The opposite is that it is simple to pick up a fungus, and getting rid of it is problematic. It is because of the fungus that the skin on the legs between the fingers most often crack.
In a humid environment, the risk of contracting a fungus increases. Typically, these are pools, baths, saunas, a fitness room locker room, as well as the use of someone else's shoes, washcloths, towels.
The emergence of pathology is influenced by provoking factors:
- excessive sweating;
- a sharp decrease in immunity;
- psoriasis;
- eczema;
- diabetes.
In addition to the fact that with the fungus, the skin on the legs crack between the fingers, there may be other unpleasant moments:
- itching between the toes;
- hyperemia;
- peeling;
- white plaque in the lesions.
The area between the toes is very optimal for fungal spores (suitable temperature, humidity and lack of light). Treatment should be started immediately, because the fungus will quickly spread to the nails and other areas of the skin.
Cracks in the feet
Often such problems entail a trail of troubles that make the skin even worse. When classifying, take into account the degree of tissue infection:
1. Epidermal lesion. Small, painless cracks, mild itching, sometimes an unpleasant odor. Healing takes place independently.
2. Epidermal-dermal lesion. Deep cracks, even with bleeding. In the process of walking, pain and burning appear; after tightening the cracks, scar tissue appears.
3. The reason for the appearance of unpleasant symptoms can be anything:
- walking without shoes;
- chlorinated water;
- metabolic disorder;
- ignoring personal hygiene;
- diabetes;
- allergy;
- lack of vitamins;
- cardiovascular pathology;
- dry climate;
- fungus;
- hyperkeratosis.
To find the right treatment, you should investigate the causes of the appearance, find out why the skin on the legs crack.
Thumb cracks
The appearance of cracks in the big toes is also a number of symptoms of pathology. A crack near the nail entails many problems - peeling or cracking of the nail plate, redness of the skin. All this looks ugly and very similar to a fungus.
If the cracked skin on the thumb is accompanied by dullness and brittleness of the nail plate, then the reason lies in dehydration or lack of vitamins. There are other factors:
- hyperkeratosis;
- metabolic disease;
- poor foot hygiene;
- endarteritis or atherosclerosis of the legs;
- regular use of hard pumice;
- eczema;
- psoriasis.
Varicose veins can also contribute to the problem. When the blood circulation of the legs is disturbed, the cells lack proper nutrition, oxygen starvation and trophic disorders occur.
Between the toes
Cracks between the toes are a characteristic sign of a fungus, especially if there has recently been a visit to a bath, sauna or pool.
In rare cases, the pathology is not related to fungal infection. This usually happens when hygiene of the lower extremities is neglected. In such cases, the skin begins to peel and crack.
The same symptoms appear with a lack of cereals, eggs and milk in the diet. The list can be extended with the following reasons:
- uncomfortable shoes;
- walking without shoes in the warm season;
- chlorinated water;
- thyroid pathology;
- diabetes.
Often endocrine diseases provoke dehydration of the body, dryness of the entire epidermis appears.
Giving help
When the skin is cracked on the legs, the correct treatment must be prescribed, the effectiveness of further actions depends on this, and adequate therapy, in turn, depends on the diagnosis.
- With diabetes, a large amount of glucose in the blood slows down the healing process. Therefore, they reduce glucose during treatment. Take warm baths with delicate antiseptics, then apply a cream to soften the epidermis.
- If it is a fungus, antifungal drugs with the active substance terbinafine will come to the rescue. Well-proven foot baths with sea salt. After the procedure, the legs are not wiped, it is desirable that the salt remains on the skin.
- Dry skin. Cracks are usually shallow. There are no particular difficulties in treatment, it is enough to make 3-4 baths with soda, then spread with a fat or lanolin cream.
- With vitamin deficiency, the situation will be corrected by the intake of a sufficient amount of trace elements and vitamins.
Foot baths with sea salt or soda can be harmful if:
- purulent skin diseases are observed;
- increased thrombosis;
- unstable blood pressure;
- intoxication with fever.
The procedure can be replaced with lotions. Decoctions of medicinal herbs will bring considerable benefits.
Drug treatment
The main thing is not to make a mistake with the diagnosis. If the matter is in shoes, it is worth changing and using any cream for healing with cracked skin on the legs. Aravia cream will do this very well. It perfectly nourishes and heals cracks.
Proper treatment eliminates not only the symptoms, but also the cause. It is important to treat the problem without negligence:
- In diabetes mellitus, not all medicines are suitable; the use of SixtuMed is the best result. It perfectly protects and heals the skin.
- Dry corns. Use Shostakovsky balm, then apply "Radevit" or "Solcoseryl". With severe dryness of the epidermis, Aravia cream with lavender will help.
- Drugs with antimycotic action will help get rid of fungal diseases: Clotrimazole, Miconazole, Ketoconazole, Sertaconazole.
- With mycosis of nails, special varnishes for the nail plate are prescribed - “Lotseril” and “Oflomil”.
- Heals dry and very painful cracks with Shostakovsky's balm, it has an antimicrobial and antiseptic effect.
Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to preventive measures.
Prevention Rules
It is not difficult to follow the recommendations, it would be a desire, and the result will not be long in coming.
- Always and constantly monitor foot hygiene. Means are better to choose from natural materials. After taking a bath or shower, you should treat your feet with a moisturizer.
- Choose comfortable shoes. With excessive sweating of the limbs, wash your feet more often and change socks, which should be made of natural cotton or wool.
- If your skin is dry, you should regularly use a moisturizer. This will help maintain moisture, reduce or nullify the appearance of new cracks.
- When visiting public places (pool, sauna, bathhouse), you should bring slippers, a towel, a washcloth, and soap. This will help not to pick up the fungus, which means it will not allow cracks and itching to appear.
- Do not forget about proper nutrition and sufficient fluid.
When the skin on the legs crack, this is a sign of a skin disease. The sooner treatment begins, the greater the chance of a speedy recovery.