So I have a lot of patches of dried, hard and cracked skin on my feet, particularly the heels, big toes and 'pads'. Being a bit of a numpty I thought 'great, my feet are hardening for running' but I read conflicting reports.
It doesn't hurt or bleed, it is just a bit, well, not nice.
I should say I spent a lot of time doing martial arts decades ago in my yuff, barefoot on uneven gym floors with that horrendous wooden flooring which left just enough of a sharp edge to take the skin off. Many happy memories of coming home, taking my shoes off and seeing a blood bath. My feet naturally hardened from that.
So, should I worry? Should I be getting shares in a moisturising firm before buying gallons of the stuff or leave as is?
I can't be the only one to suffer hard, dried patches of skin on the feet - good or bad?
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yatesco
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I seem to get such things naturally as I age. Being vain I grate the hard patches off (there's probably a technical term for the thing but I'm still riding endorphins and can't remember it: technically it's grating, or sanding!), lather my feet in moisturiser and put cotton socks on - apparently it helps. In relation to health or running benefits / disadvantages I have no idea... (endorphins took over).
Yatesy, get a cheese grater on it!😁 maybe try some E45 cream and moisturise it, and better fitting shoes? To relieve pressure & friction. Sorry, I don't suffer with it so can't offer any real help😊
I have shocking hard skin on my feet because I use to wear high heels (not so much now because of the running) and because I just think I'm prone to it and over the years have spent a fortune on various products in an attempt to get rid of it. For vanity's sake and because my feet are on show in the summer I grate them and moisturise them and try to make them purty. HOWEVER, for us runners I think a bit of hard skin is good because it means we shouldn't get blisters and the skin gives us an extra layer of protection. If the skin is very thick and therefore painful then a trip to the chiropodist should do the trick but I am hanging onto a bit of my hard skin. This is gross btw and I can't believe I'm typing all this stuff on a public forum!
Ballet dancers used to use turps on their feet to harden them for the same reason. Dancers do not have nice feet and neither, I guess, do most runners 😏
You're absolutely right IP. My marathon running friend always gets pedicures after running a marathon and she always has to convince them to leave a protective crust of hard skin.
WOW! They look AMAZING! I really like the sound of these - i'm going to try them. Like Irishprincess, I rammed my feet into ridiculously high heels and time has taken it's toll
ha, I knew somebody would be mentioning those :-).
I probably wasn't clear but my feet are no worse for running, they have been like this for a while. I happened to see a post on running and cracked heels by accident, hence this question.
But no, I don't think the vibrams are at fault as they are the cure-all for _all_ running ills :-).
That's what I am not sure of - ARE they an issue? I haven't felt any symptoms, but then I read they are terribly bad for you and you can get nerve damage which would be devastating for a runner I imagine.
And yeah, that picture isn't nice, but then neither are my feet :-).
Nerve damage!? OMG - that's scary. I thought it was just a cosmetic issue. Is it just if you are a runner or anyone with cracked heels? (I know someone with cracked heels and now i'm really concerned for them)
Actually, I might have been a bit of a numpty with cause and effect - googling has lots of links about nerve damage CAUSING cracked heels but not the other way around.
I didn't think they were but just had to mention the possibility! I personally wouldn't be worried about hard skin if its not bothering you but that is for you to decide! If you ever want to swap your vibrams for open toed sandals it might be an issue!
With the amount of life now in the vibrams (judging by the smell) I would fear for anything that tried to take their place. I imagine the Vibrams are quite vicious...
I know this is no help to you at all but I used to have pretty feet, they have really changed recently, they are not as nice as they used to look but I'm lucky I just paint my toenails and I takes the focus away from the feet and I can look at them again. I am just getting over the blisters from my HM now they have only just burst and dried up, hehe the things we learn to deal with while running. Wouldn't change a thing though.😀.
Now, this is very, very weird.... I always, always, had very hard skin on my feet... years of barefoot track running in my youth...and then not wearing shoes whenever I possible.
My feet were so hard, they were like Hobbit feet, (apart from lack of hair)...that I started having a podiatrist visit.. every 6 to 8 weeks. Now since running...my heels, toes and balls of my feet are softer and very pliable! My podiatrist still comes and she flagged up the improvement. I have a routine which i started when i first had her visit. after a bath... gentle exfoliation.. I use a rasp and then, a gentle pedicure exfoliator and then an application of CCS Professional Foot Cream.
I have had no issues whilst running, and touch wood, no blisters at all!
Tee hee... Well I referred to her in a post ages ago.. after I did the Daily Snippet on Barefoot running, ( when I was standing in for the lovely Irishprincess )
Yes, I did... I ran for the County... 220m 440m and 880m... I ran barefoot and was very fast.. ( Yep.. hard to believe I know), until... one event, a naughty, girl, crossed lanes and spiked my foot.. right through!!!
Wore running shoes ever after, but never felt the same..never felt that I quite got the speed... Bit like now really
Disqualified? Is that all? Surely a prison sentence was in order!! You could have been a contender...
Funny how the thought of an old injury has the power to make us wince. I can still recall the sinking feeling in my gut of seeing my daughter's broken collarbone years ago 😱😱
Being heavily overweight seems to feature. My heels were terrible when I was obese. They were so cracked and sore it made my life a misery. I have cupboards full of remedies, lotions, potions, socks, balms blah, blah. Me and OH were discussing this t'other day when I was painting my toenails and he commented that my feet looked normal now. Whatever you do don't start cutting the rough hard skin off!
I use a pedi from Avon and the good old epsom salts in the bath helps the feet as well as tired muscles. The pedi has a rough (cheese grater side ) and an emery side. I use the rough one and then the smooth on dry feet before I go in the bath. Always dry your feet well ☺
If I am running longer than 30 minutes I apply vaseline to my feet. Keeps em blister free and well moisturised
If you start off with 80 grit for the first day then each successive day go to the next grit size. 100, 120, etc until your feet feel nice and smooth. 😀
When I broke my ankle and couldn't walk, all the dry skin on my feet gradually disappeared and they were literally as soft as a baby's - just lovely. I thought they were gorgeous but, as everyone else has warned, soft feet means sore feet. When I did start walking any sort of distance again, even socks rubbed them and made them sore. Hang onto some of that hard skin m'dear or you'll be hobbling about covered in blister plasters.
yatesco -you need a trip to the chiropodist. It will cost about £30+ but they will get rid of that hard skin so the moisturiser will get to where it's needed. Love your feet!
I think it can be an issue as a cracked heel can be very painful. I've only tried it once, but it was quite awful. So take a footbath with some salt to soften them up, grate and moisturise. If you do that once month the worst will disappear.
If you decide to go down the moisturising route can I recommend the hemp hand cream from Bodyshop. You should exfoliate your feet after a shower to get rid of some excess skin then spread the cream over and rub it in before bed (it's quite oily and smells of wet rope) but it is fantastic for any areas of dry skin.
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xxx
A bit of a difference. 
A bit disappointed :(
Loosing the will (a bit)
