Dry, cracked heels often start as mild roughness but can gradually become thick, flaky skin that develops small fissures. In more severe cases, these cracks may deepen and cause pain when walking or standing.
The main cause is repeated pressure on the heel combined with dryness. Factors like hot showers, walking barefoot, open-back shoes, long standing hours, and naturally dry skin all reduce elasticity, making the skin more likely to split under stress.
A simple and widely recommended treatment is plain petroleum jelly. It does not remove dead skin butinstead
