Healthy, natural skin looks and feels smooth, soft, and unbroken. But various issues can cause the skin to crack, even to the point of breaking open and bleeding.
This article explores the issue of cracking skin, including common causes for this condition and how to take a natural approach to skin cracking treatment.
Causes of Cracked Skin
When skin becomes dry and irritated, cracking often occurs. Cracked skin may also be accompanied by itching, flaking, and bleeding of the skin. Certain skin conditions, including eczema and psoriasis, cause cracking too. Eczema involves red and inflamed skin that occurs when the skin barrier lets in too much moisture, and psoriasis is an autoimmune condition identifiable by extremely dry patches of skin on the body. Underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, may lead to skin cracking, especially on the soles of the feet. The feet, hands, and lips are among the most common areas of the body for skin cracking.
Contact dermatitis is a dry and itchy rash that occurs when the skin comes into contact with something toxic, irritating, or allergy-provoking. A foot infection caused by ringworm, commonly known as athlete’s foot, is a fungus that can cause cracked skin, peeling skin, rashes between toes, and itchiness. It is also possible to develop cracked skin from sunburns, extremely hot or cold weather, using soaps with harsh chemicals, excessive hand washing, a vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency, or allergies.
Natural Treatments for Cracked Skin
Most issues with cracked skin can be treated at home with natural, homeopathic remedies. First, it’s important to keep the skin hydrated by drinking plenty of water and applying ointments or moisturizers to the affected areas of the skin. Some good ingredients to look for in cracked skin moisturizers are olive oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil. Tea tree oil, coconut oil, paraffin wax, and flaxseed oil are also effective ingredients for cracked skin.
Seagate’s OliveViate Topical Skin Relief is a homeopathic medicine that delivers safe, topical treatment for various skin irritations, including cracked skin. It has an olive and coconut oil base, plus omega-3 fatty acids and natural vitamin E for antimicrobial and antioxidant protection. This product will completely absorb into the skin within a few minutes and can be used two to three times per day for cracked skin relief.
Preventing Cracked Skin
Once you have healed the cracks in your skin, prioritize moisturizing as part of your daily skincare routine to prevent the cracks from coming back. Avoid overly hot showers and baths so that you don’t dry out your skin, and steer clear of harsh chemicals in the soaps and body washes you use. You can help your skin stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day and protecting it by wearing sunscreen and light layers of clothing when going outdoors.
Use soothing lip balms with natural ingredients to prevent future lip cracking, and consult a doctor if skin cracking doesn’t get better with natural treatments or occurs frequently despite your best attempts at moisturizing. With winter just around the corner, now is the time to start preparing your skin for cold, dry weather and getting into good skincare habits so you don’t have to deal with cracking issues at all!
If a dermatologist cannot fix a skin issue the first time, consider skin patch testing from an allergy clinic to learn what chemical(s) you’re allergic to. It might be as simple as removing a common chemical(s) found in daily products. I was shocked when I learned that tea tree oil does not agree with my skin.
Nathan, in theory I agree with you. However, I have unfortunately had 3 different experiences with skin patch testing – on my son, my wife and myself – that made my family decide never to do that again. The skin tests had so many false positives. We each went off a variety of foods that we really were not allergic to. It was impossible to figure out what was really causing the allergic reactions using this test. Eventually we each one by one introduced things and waited to see if there was an allergic reaction. That took a lot longer than a doctor’s skin patch test. But it was way more accurate. Just sharing my experience. Richard