Dont you worry about stepping on glass ?

You mean, it could help to just pee on the crack?
It seems that some people do that (peeing on their feet) to get rid of athletes' foot - if urea is the magic ingredient, that would explain why it works...

Well, urea is magic when it comes to cracks. I don't know if it is also magic when it comes to athlete's foot (but I have also heard the anecdotes, though it might be a different component in urine).

I had a friend with awful cracks on his fingers (from his job, if I remember correctly). He'd tried everything (except urea). Within 2 weeks he got it all healed up. I wrote it up in http://ahcuah.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/dipping-a-toe-in-your-ria/
 
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I've heard it explained that you cannot "moisturize" your skin from the outside. You moisturize it by drinking fluids, and you prevent skin from drying by blocking moisture from leaving. You can do this by not washing away your natural oils (which act as a barrier) with soap, or by adding an oil to your skin that will prevent moisture evaporation.
So "moisturizers" must be used as a preventive, not a fix, but they do give a temporary appearance of moisturization by masking the look of dry skin.
Thickened soles may be different though, I'm guessing that lubing can prevent cracking and so many people have done so with good results that there must be something to it.
Urea is acting differently than a moisturizer, not sure of the mechanism but it sure works good for many people.
 
I noticed when I was in Afghanistan the villagers there had the same fissures in their feet. I also noticed that the camels feet over their did the same thing. I think it is just a part of being barefoot, maybe in certain climates I guess, I dunno.

Last autumn I got fissures when I started using socks when it got cold. So I stopped using socks in the cold, problem solved.
 
... but it's time for my annual heel fissures now, and whenever I step on a rock directly below a fissure, it definitely takes a few steps of madly searching for something ultra pleasant to think about--like my wife's pooper, or the tremendously pleasant impending succession of seasons--before the pain dissipates. Once the sharp shooting sting is gone though, I appreciate the little neurological reminder that I am fully alive and wetly electric.

Heel cracks - oh, yes! I am there right now since the humidity blew away.

For those really sharp hurts that happen once in a while, if I don't think there's significant blood drawn or tissue loss, I too go for disassociation: I try to count how many steps it takes for the pain to subside. 6 steps and fewer, small chance of damage. 6 to 12, a good hit, but easy enough to handle. More than 12 steps, I'll probably feel it when I finish as I walk out the cool off.
 
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Jorge Posada used to pee on his hands all the time. If you noticed he never used to wear batting gloves, the pee add some extra cushioning to his hands. I pee on my feet all the time in the shower, I never clean my feet with soap, I let the urine take care of that.

So much to learn here at the BRS. Like how to pee in the sink and wash your hands at the same time. :smuggrin:
 
the real talent would be to drink, pee, and wash your hands at the same time.
 
How many times have I heard that. I wanted to hear from you. Whats the craziest things you have jumped over, ran from, chased, got scared by ? Everyone assumes the only thing of danger we encounter will be a little piece of glass. And the question is a valid one. I just run over it with my 4 X 4 truck tire self built natural treads, my feet. On a serious note I have encountered real danger running bare foot and some nasty things as well. In St Louis last week I had to jump over a dead bloated deer that was about ready to POP. fly's and maggots. In Hawaii I stepped upon toads in the road. In Utah I ran across fresh bear tracks on a solo run. In Hawaii also ran from Nee-Ne Geese that wanted to bite me. In Mexico I ran from what looked like a Zombie pit bull. I had no rock or stick and it was 97 degrees in the shade. I pretended to pick up a rock and it ran away yelping. But glass you say, sure I crushed some last seek I stepped on a 1/3 of a bottle and luckily I crushed it. I was looking at my running application on my phone. (No, I am not a purest) I was not watching where I was going when I heard a crunch. I looked down to see glass on the side walk and parts of it in my foot. I brushed it off with my had and continued my run. I once encountered a spider that was wider than my foot on the Las Vegas Ragnar, tranchula. And on a run last summer in Utah I jumped over a whip snake as it shot under my legs.
Carpenter nails, yes I saved some one a few bucks and an hour of of their day. It is amazing what I found along the road. Cameras, phones, wallet, flashlight, all the trash items of course but mostly miles of slury seal coverd roads, OO00 they are great training grounds as KenBob would say.
 
I SHOULD have worried about stepping on something: last Saturday I was hobbling around with some weird, painful ankle disfunction, when I had to go get a load of laundry in off the line before a thunderstorm. Staggering back to the patio with a full basket in my arms and a major limping action going, I was one step away from my patio when I found a thumb tack in the grass, with the bad foot, naturally. It penetrated all the way, and wasn't at all easy to yank out because the rust made the pointy part rougher than it would otherwise have been. I was ready to run to the hospital later as I watched for blood poisoning streaks to begin running up my leg, but they never appeared.

That was a Saturday and I was able to run on it with only a twinge on Tuesday, so I guess I got off pretty easy.
 
Some interesting reading above.
If you have got a crack then this stuff is amazing. I've been climbing for years and absolutely swear by it....having chalk on your hands all day can lead to some nasty cracks and going for a sharp hold .....almost holding it....and then slowly sliding off can open some nasty cuts! This stuffs rocks!
http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Accessories/Medical-Cosmetic/First-Aid/Climb-On-Bar-CON-BARS
Superglue is useful if the edges have dried and hardened - thus being held open. It allows the skin to heal up from inside. Once a cracks edges have hardened it takes forever to heal if just left and i'm also pretty sure these sort of things heal weaker if left open for any real time.
 
That was a Saturday and I was able to run on it with only a twinge on Tuesday, so I guess I got off pretty easy.

Ain't the human body amazing!
 
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Also I have had reports from India where dry cracked skin can be an issue.

I believe one of the problems is fungus, which may help dry out the skin, or feed on the weakened skin, or otherwise take advantage of the cracks (and some of them are microscopic, but can cause very sharp pains). The fungus problem can be solved in warm climates by not wearing shoes, at least not for long periods at a time, so that the fungus doesn't have a nice warm, moist, dark, atmosphere in which to thrive.

I also believe that the long-term solution is to eat nutritious foods (whole, natural, mostly unprocessed) and drink plenty of water (real water, not those salty sugary substances that are basically little different than soda, but are marketed as "energy drinks").

Also I would be careful about "scrubbing" the feet, as this can create microscopic fissures, which can give fungus a "foot-hold" (so to speak) preventing the cracks from healing faster than you can scrub them back open again.

Gentle soap is fine, especially when we let the soap and water work, rather than scrubbing excessively. ( http://barefootrunning.com/?qa_faqs=clean-feet )

A quick, but short-term solution, was discovered by a medical doctor who ran occasionally in shoes, but mostly barefoot from about 1935 through about 2000 (65+ years):
http://barefootrunning.com/?p=4932

You can try hemp cream in place of petroleum jelly. But if you need a fix now, and petroleum jelly is all you have ... actually, any kind of cooking oil should work. After oiling up, put on some socks to protect your floors, furniture, and bedding.

Have fun,
-Barefoot Ken Bob

Yah, I got some Hemp Foot Protector,
41LwweZJKQL._SX450_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046XL5U6/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and it helps, but the annual fissures seem inevitable. I usually get them in the spring, after rebuilding my calluses, but last year I ran barefoot a lot throughout the winter, so apparently the process had been delayed. I thought perhaps this year without the seasonal waxing and waning of plantar development, I had the dry cracking licked, but it seems not.

I don't know about our ancestors, but our cousins in Africa have the same problem, and in Mozambican Portuguese (probably all varieties of Portuguese?) there's even a specific word for heel fissures: rasga-manta ('blanket-ripper'). My mother-in-law in particular thought it was pretty funny that a white man could have feet that looked like a villager's. I do scrub my feet before entering the shower, but I never use soap on them (although the soap from my pits and privates runs over them on its way to the drain), so I'm not sure there's much I can do, except maybe put the hemp creme on right afterwards, as you suggest.
 
Also I have had reports from India where dry cracked skin can be an issue.

I believe one of the problems is fungus, which may help dry out the skin, or feed on the weakened skin, or otherwise take advantage of the cracks (and some of them are microscopic, but can cause very sharp pains). The fungus problem can be solved in warm climates by not wearing shoes, at least not for long periods at a time, so that the fungus doesn't have a nice warm, moist, dark, atmosphere in which to thrive.

I also believe that the long-term solution is to eat nutritious foods (whole, natural, mostly unprocessed) and drink plenty of water (real water, not those salty sugary substances that are basically little different than soda, but are marketed as "energy drinks").
Well, I'm the only relatively purist barefooter in the family, and I'm the only one who gets heel fissures, so I think we can eliminate any environmental factors. I eat the same things as everyone too, and have always been really good about hydration
Also I would be careful about "scrubbing" the feet, as this can create microscopic fissures, which can give fungus a "foot-hold" (so to speak) preventing the cracks from healing faster than you can scrub them back open again.

Gentle soap is fine, especially when we let the soap and water work, rather than scrubbing excessively. ( http://barefootrunning.com/?qa_faqs=clean-feet )
When I say 'scrub' I'm using a medium stiff plastic brush, just enough to get the loose stuff off, never enough to get the feet completely clean. Can't be more abrasive that the surfaces I run on. I use the laundry tub next to the laundry room's shower. The shower is one of those plastic kinds you mentioned. Often I forgo the pre-shower scrub and just wipe the dirt smudges on the floor of the shower with the scrubbing side of a dish sponge, with my feet, while showering. In any case, it's not a big deal. I only use soap (Nutragena) on my pits and privates.
A quick, but short-term solution, was discovered by a medical doctor who ran occasionally in shoes, but mostly barefoot from about 1935 through about 2000 (65+ years):
http://barefootrunning.com/?p=4932

You can try hemp cream in place of petroleum jelly. But if you need a fix now, and petroleum jelly is all you have ... actually, any kind of cooking oil should work. After oiling up, put on some socks to protect your floors, furniture, and bedding.
Half the reason I've been a casual barefooter for most of my adult life is because I hate socks! I get 'hot foot.' I can only wear socks with shoes, outside, when it's cold out.
Have fun,
-Barefoot Ken Bob
You too!

In any case, my heel cracks are only painful for a few days. It's been a few weeks now since this season's first appeared, and they're just fine. The old growth slowly molts off, the new stuff slowly grows in. It's the circle of life! I got the stuff Ahcuah recommended, but I've been too lazy to use it. Out of pain, out of mind I guess.
 
Heh. I know what you are talking about. I keep a tube on my nightstand, and manage to put some on about once a week, while watching television. But that seems to do it for me.
Ha! I brought a tube to my office a few days ago in hopes I'd remember to use it. I'll put some on right now since I just got done with a standing stint at my sit-stand desk, and so will be sitting for a while. I'll try to check back in in a few weeks and let you know how it worked for me, if I can remember to keep on using it!
 
Ahcuah won't wear shoes but watches tv in bed??? :jaw drop:
 
Rocks are the worst I've ever come across. Thy bruise my feet and it sucks. Those little sliver leaves that fall off the trees in the fall are really annoying too.