Cracks in the skin at the back of the heel are ugly and can be painful. These are fairly common, particularly in those people who are predisposed to them. These types of splits in the skin about the heel occur when the skin is thicker and dry. As the fat bad under the heel bulges out sideways when walking puts strain on the skin that it can not take, so the skin just tears or splits. The using of open back shoes also contributes to the cracked heels. Some medical disorders can also lead to the dryness of the skin and a number of different biomechanical issues contribute to the thickening of the skin.

After a split happens, it does need to be taken care of as it could act as a portal to have an infection to get in. Firstly, an antiseptic needs to be used to avoid that if the split is open. It is next necessary to take off the thick callus about the peripheray of the heel. This can be done by a experienced podiatrist for those who have access to podiatry. If not, then you need to use something like a foot file, pumice stone or emery board and get to work on removing the callus around the cracks. This tends to take a lots of effort. Once that thickened skin is taken care of, then it is vital that you use lotions and emollients to make the skin elastic and adaptable so it doesn't have the inclination to split. Urea based lotions are generally better for that. When this initial problem is dealt with, then preventative measures have to be put in place to continue with otherwise the problem will most likely occur again. Periodic use of a foot file or similar is recommended to keep the thick skin down and frequent use of a urea based lotion is essential to make the skin resilient to splitting and stop the dryness. Staying away from open back footwear is also encouraged.