Barefooting Bulletin Board

Every newbie seems to encounter a problem with heel cracks which form along the sides of the heel in that ring of really thick callus that forms at the bottom of the sides of the heel.

My old family doctor told me the cracks are caused by the callus drying out after being kept moist by sweating in shoes. He, and just about everybody else, recommends moisturizers. He also used to recommend to his patients who weren't diabetics that they shouldn't wear shoes any more than necessary. ( I stopped by his house one day to find him, his wife, their teenage son and daughter all barefoot. He MUST have been a very good doctor!)

The moisturizers help, just be careful to let it dry before you walk on it or you'll fall on your but.

However, if you are like me and blow off the moisturizer and get heel cracks every spring there's an easy solution that works for me.

I take an old toothbrush and scrub out the crack to get all the dirt and debris out that I can, then I make sure it's dry. I approximate (that means push together) the sides of the crack and very carefully place a small drop of super glue on the crack.

By carefully, I don't mean it has to go in any exact spot, and you can use a big drop it you want, just don't glue your fingers to your foot. And wait longer than you think necessary for the glue to dry before you walk on it.

The glue will hold the crack closed so it won't propagate as new skin pushes up. As the skin wears away, so does the glue and after a couple months you don't have a heel crack anymore.