Video: Home Heel Hard Skin Removal (With Scalpel Blade!)

Here I am again finishing off my notorious right heel with a scalpel, foot file and urea cream.

As I mentioned in my previous video, I get thicker callus here than on my left. It also comes back faster. 

This happens because my right foot hits the ground harder than on my left. ​

Inside of my shoe, it gets churned and turned against the insoles I wear.

​I find I always get a ridge of hard skin on the outside of my heel that's denser than the rest. 

So it had to go!​

​Home Heel Hard Skin Removal (With Scalpel Blade!)

Like a bad penny, it always comes back. 

Yep, my dry yellow heel skin. 

Like a crazed sculptor, I always return to it (with a scalpel blade, file and foot cream!)

But why do I (and you) get the heel callus in the first place?

3 Reasons You Get Dry Yellow Heels

Hard skin callus. It's as common as a politician's smile come election season. In other words, very. 

(Even Podiatrists like me are afflicted)

Like most foot problems, heel callus tends to get problematic when you've ignored it for ages. 

So the good news is that it'll give you plenty of signs it's time to act. 

But what are the main reasons you pick it up?

1. Friction

This is a bit of a cheat answer. Friction is always present to some level with thick heel skin. 

As that well-known saying goes, hyperkeratosis is a protection mechanism. 

In other words: your body throws down extra skin when it senses wear and tear. 

It's usually down to two factors: our activity levels and body weight. 

The heavier you are, the more force twists your heels. Likewise how much you're on your feet. 

2. Your Shoes

In 2012, I went backpacking to Australia. I left the frigid mountains of Wales for the parched streets of Darwin. 

As is tradition in the land down under, I wore flip-flops 80% of the time. 

(Or thongs as they call them)

When I returned, 12 months later, my heels resembled a mini-map of the Grand Canyon. ​

So yes, a sudden change in your shoes is a prime mover for sudden heel skin. 

3. Medication

Some medical conditions add generous millimeters of thick skin to your heels. 

This includes diabetes, hyperthyroidism and psoriasis. These alter or affect your ability to regulate skin dryness or how fast it reproduces. 

The same goes for certain medications.

(Anti-psychotic drugs are really bad for this)  

What Causes Deep Heel Cracks?

Fissures are those painful deep cracks you get in your heels. 

They occur when the layers of dry skin build up so much that they're ripe to rip open.

​After a step too many, the tensioned dead skin splits. It's either that or a heel corn. 

Heel fissures can be a PITA to heal.

If they're really deep, they need dedicated scalpel work. This is to reduce them from the inside and allow them to close.

If they're not, see below. 

​Women (Have Worse Feet Than Men)

Yep, and it's all down to those ballet-tight footwear.

Fashion is an integral part of your life. Society says so — like corsets.   

But it's not only shoes and buying apparel online is a double-edged razor. 

You can access stuff you'd never see down your McHigh Street for sweatshop prices.

Then it rocks up and looks (or fits) decidedly different from advertised.

If you've got Amazon Prime, use Try Before You Buy.

You can order six items (including shoes, kids and men's clothes) and cavort in front of a mirror trying them for 7 days. ​ You only pay for what you decide to keep. 

(Returns are free). ​

​Home Heel Hard Skin Removal (With Scalpel Blade!)

See how I use short, rapid scalpel scrapes, lubricated with urea-based foot cream? 

Notice how I also apply tension away from the area I blade. I also always keep my fingers above the stroke.

But don't use sharp-bladed instruments unless you're trained to do so. 

You can get the same effect with a good-quality foot file, like this one. 

(It may take a bit longer, but your heel is forgiving with force)

Prevention > Cure

Like almost everything, it's best to cut heel callus off at the pass. 

In other words, treat it before it becomes too much of a problem.

(Prior to you forking out to get it sliced off by a professional) 

I use Gehwol Fusskraft Blue in the video. ​This allows me to feel for stand-out raises without burning (or cutting) my skin. 

For deep heel rips, use the stronger Gehwol Salve. ​