Cracked Skin

Dry, itchy skin is bad enough, but when eczema gets an attitude or psoriasis gets super serious, you may make the transition from considerable discomfort to full-fledged torture. Your skin can crack, leaving painful slits that bring agony with even the most basic body movements such as stretching.

Doctors call these cracks skin fissures. You will probably call them something a little more colorful. Hands and feet are the most likely spots for cracked skin, but there are other vulnerable places, too.

"Sometimes the feet are so dry that they crack, particularly on the heel and between the toes--and these cracks are like little portholes for infection," says Houston podiatrist William Van Pelt, D.P.M., former president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. "Women who wear open-backed heels and slides are particularly prone."

Here's how to take the fire out of painful fissures.

Give yourself a good soak. "The best way to treat very dry skin is to hydrate it every night," says Dr. Van Pelt. "Each skin cell is like a little sponge, so each night before going to bed, I recommend soaking your feet or whatever part of your body is especially dry in warm water for about 20 minutes. During this soak, the skin cells will absorb water. Then pat yourself dry."

Cracked lips? Maybe It's Your Toothpaste

Brushing twice daily with a tartar control toothpaste may be a good way to fight plaque, but that toothpaste apparently doesn't do much good for your lips. Regular use of these toothpastes can leave skin cracked and cause an itchy rash around the mouth, according to research conducted by Bruce E. Beacham, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

The reason: Tartar control toothpastes contain compounds that can irritate mucous membranes and other tissues, especially if you have atopic dermatitis or sensitive skin. In Dr. Beacham's research, however, he found that cracked lips and the accompanying rash don't occur when tartar control brands are used less often than once a day. So if you use the toothpaste every other day or so, you'll help prevent your lips from cracking.

Seal up with a lube job. After soaking, seal in the moisture by applying a coating of a petroleum jelly product such as Vaseline, adds Dr. Van Pelt. "It works much better than commercially sold moisturizers, which don't have the same 'sealing' effect," he says. For foot care, he suggests, "after you apply Vaseline, put on a pair of socks and go to bed." If it's your hands that need attention, put on light cotton gloves at night after you give them the Vaseline treatment.

"Glue" the cracks. Although it doesn't cure skin fissures, you can lessen the pain by applying Super Glue to the slits, says Rodney Basler, M.D., a dermatologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. "A little dab of Super Glue takes the air away from the nerve endings and seals the slits." He says this procedure is perfectly safe on slits and minor paper cuts but shouldn't be tried on deep wounds.

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