SO ROUGH!
Stomach-churning video shows podiatrist hacking stubborn scaly skin from patient’s feet
If you think you've got crusty feet, take a look at these horrendously cracking heels
PODIATRISTS have to spend a lot of their time looking at cracked heels.
But one professional got more than she bargained for after one of her patient's turned up with much drier feet than most.
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Foot fixer Marion Yau, who is based on Harley Street in London, had her work cut out as she tried to treat a particularly bad case of deep cracked heel fissures.
In a grim video, Marion takes a sharp scalpel black to hack away at the thick, scaly skin on the man's food.
After applying some antiseptic, she got to work, chopping and chiseling away.
It's quite therapeutic to watch, and after umpteen scrapes, Marion eventually managed to wear down the cracked hide to reveal a healthier-looking layer of skin.
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"This gentleman had a particularly bad case of heel fissure," she said, "one of the worst I've seen".
At the end, there are still a few faint cracks visible but the feet look almost unrecognisable from before.
Cracked heels are a common condition and they can be incredibly painful.
THey result from dry skin and often come with thickened yellow or brown skin and calluses.
It's not just the appearance that can be an issue.
If they're super deep, they can become infected.
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According to the National Food Health Assessment 2012, 20 per cent of American adutls had cracked skin on their feet, with women being 50 per cent more likely to have fissures than men.
If you've got cracked heels, try using an emollient to trap moisture and reduce water loss in the skin.
Applying something like Vaseline on top can then reduce water loss even further, with some studies suggesting that occlusive moisterisers reducing water loss from the outer skin by more than 98 per cent.
Pumice stones, wearing cotton socks to bed and applying things like lactic or glycolic acids are also thought to help.
But sometimes you do need actual medical treatment.
Professional podiatrists like Marion can remove thick, dead skin, prescribe you stronger softening creams, glue your cracks and prescribe antibiotics if there's an infection.
Professionals may also be able to help with suggesting changes in what you wear or how you walk to reduce the chances of the cracking coming back.
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Dry skin tends to be the cause so your best bet is to try to avoid your feet becoming dry.
You can do that by making sure that you moisturise after washing, avoid very hot baths and showers and wear shoes that have a closed-heel.
Obesity is another risk factor so if you are carrying a lot of extra weight, trying to slim down may be a godo option.
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