Some people feel that they have dry or not-so-beautiful feet so they do not prefer wearing open toes or other fancy footwear, and complain of not taking enough care because of insufficient time for foot care with the ever-so-fast evolving lives.

But there will be people who are doing a lot of skincare and still feel the same, so is it only care that will change the condition of your feet?

Well, let’s understand what causes the dead and dry skin to build up on your feet and what can you do about it.

Also, know how to get rid of dead skin on feet.

1. What Causes Dead Skin on Feet?

The primary cause of dry, flaky, and cracked skin on the feet is the lack of moisture.

The glands on the feet do not secrete that much moisture in the form of oil as compared to other body parts, which is specifically the case for the heel and sole portion.

If your shoes do not fit you properly and you are wearing them for too long, or standing for a long duration then it puts pressure on your feet which causes friction of the skin, which in turn leads to drying of that area of your feet, leading to cracked feet.

As we grow older our skin’s ability to retain water reduces and it gets less plump and becomes thinner. So, with age, the drying is just because of the skin aging even without any other reason.

There are also a lot of medicines that have the same effect as diuretics, they also make the feet’ skin dry.

If our feet remain very closed or stay in enclosed spaces too much like sneakers and boots it creates a very humid and hot environment for them, which expels moisture from the skin leaving them dry and cracky.

Even if you’re using soaps or body washes that are harsh then they draw moisture from the feet making them flaky and dry.

2. Preventing Dry Skin on Feet

Some everyday things that you can practice to prevent cracked and flaky feet include:

• Always pay extra attention to your foot hygiene, follow a proper routine that includes thoroughly cleaning the feet, hydrating and moisturizing them, and timely exfoliation to remove dead skin cells.
• Try using more soft and natural products instead of soaps and lotions which are highly fragrant as these contain chemicals and alcohol which can be irritants.

• When soaking feet or washing them use warm water and not hot water as it leads to skin drying and after a soak, dry pat them gently and not in a hard rubbing manner.

3. Medical Reasons for Dead Skin on Feet

There are a lot of medical conditions that also can lead to dead skin on feet.

One of these is; an Athlete’s Foot which is basically a fungal infection that has symptoms like a scaly rash that develops under the foot or between the toes.

Eczema is another very common reason it is basically a type of skin inflammation or dermatitis.

It can happen anywhere on the body, although on the feet it makes them crusty, flaky, and sometimes itchy and just like eczema psoriasis can also happen anywhere on the body and it causes thick scaly skin patches.

Diabetes can also be a reason because when it is uncontrolled it leads to neuropathy which is basically nerve damage.

It affects the oil and moisture regulation in the feet and makes them dry and cracked.

Similarly, someone suffering from thyroid also has an irregular working of the sweat glands due to the thyroid gland functioning in that manner which leads to drying of the feet skin.

4. How to Get Rid of Dead Skin on Feet?

You can use a pumice stone to remove the dead skin on your feet and all you have to do is dip it in warm water so that it can be used for removing the dead skin on your feet.

Also, dip your feet first in warm water so they become soft and exfoliation becomes easy and after cleaning make sure to moisturise your feet.

Paraffin wax is also a very good method to remove dead skin on feet and to use at home, dip your feet several times in the wax after melting it so that you have a few layers deposited.

Now wrap your feet with plastic, when you remove the plastic, the wax makes all the damaged skin come out, thus making your feet clean and soft.

The foot scrub is the easiest and the quickest method you can use like some homemade scrubs or even the ones available in the market, but after scrubbing rinse thoroughly and then moisturize.

Along with scrubbing, you can also use soaking mechanisms like Epsom salt to make the process more efficient and relaxing too.

You can also use soaking individually like using vinegar, baking soda, or lemon. But with all these materials you need to make sure that it suits your skin because there is a possibility that if you have allergies baking soda might make it worse.

Similarly, with lemon, you can have redness and skin irritation.

Although razors and scrapers can also be used to remove dead skin and callouses, until you do not know how to use them correctly it is not advised to use the same, because you can easily injure yourself.

Either learn how to use these instruments with precision or get it done by a professional like a pedicurist or nail technician.