Is it time to ditch the closed shoes?
With May wrapping up today, tomorrow officially kicks off summer mode. For many of us in London, that means finally packing away the heavy boots and letting our feet breathe.
But before you reach for those standard flat sandals or flimsy flip-flops, here is one critical tip to save your feet from painful cracks and hard skin this season.
The Summer Footwear Trap: Watch Your Heels
When you wear open-backed sandals or flip-flops, your heel is completely unsupported. Every time you take a step, the skin on your heel expands sideways under your body weight. Without the structured wall of a closed shoe to hold it in place, that repetitive spreading causes the skin to micro-tear.
To defend itself against this constant friction and pressure, your body thickens the skin — a biological process called hyperkeratosis. If the skin gets too dry, those thick areas turn into deep, stubborn, and often painful cracked heels.
Why Cracked Heels Are More Than Just a Cosmetic Problem
Many people think cracked heels are simply an appearance issue, but severe cracks can become painful and even lead to infection.
Deep fissures can:
- Bleed when walking
- Cause discomfort during daily activities
- Allow bacteria to enter broken skin
- Become increasingly difficult to treat without professional care
Regular moisturising and routine foot maintenance can prevent minor dryness from becoming a larger problem.
Your 30-Second Summer Habit:
If you love open shoes, you don’t have to abandon them entirely. Just counter the daily pressure with targeted hydration:
- The Rule: Apply a dedicated foot cream containing Urea (ideally between 10% to 25%) every single evening right before bed.
- Why it works: Regular body moisturiser just sits on top of hard foot skin. Urea acts as a keratolytic—meaning it breaks down the tight cellular bonds of thickened skin, pulling moisture deep into the layers to keep your heels elastic, supple, and crack-free.
Stuck on sandal ideas?
We LOVE the Bared Turnstone sandal.
Bared shoes are actually designed by a podiatrist with anatomical footbeds.
(*no vested and objective opinion re: this brand)
We are also independent prescribers able to prescribe any medication from the BNF relevant to the lower limb, foot and ankle.
Are you suffering from any foot, skin or nail condition? At The Chelsea Clinic, we can help. One of our podiatrist can assist and then recommend what treatments are best to get you back on track. Podiatrist South Kensington
Schedule an appointment here or you may call us at +44 (0) 207 101 4000.
We hope you have a feetastic day!
-The Chelsea Clinic and Team
