I experience pain in the thumb and big toe. I also have cracks on my thumb. Please suggest a natural home remedy for this.

Properly moisturized skin can not only be pleasing to the eye, but can also reflect the overall health and wellness of an individual. If the skin is left excessively dry over a long period of time, it will start to crack and lead to a significant amount of pain and discomfort for the individual, at times even causing a lot of mental stress. The most common areas for the skin to dry up are the hands and feet as a result of their consistent participation in most daily activities. If the cracks are deep and cause tremendous pain, you should visit a qualified dermatologist who will prescribe you with proper medicines for dealing with the same. There are a number of underlying medical conditions that could display dry, cracked skin to be one of the symptoms. If this is the case, it is imperative that you correctly diagnose the underlying medical condition and treat it. The problem of cracked skin will resolve itself in due course of time. During the development of cracked skin, the skin will start out scaly and dry, before it slowly starts to crack and form fissures in the skin. If the fissures are left untreated, they become much harder to treat in the later stages. Diabetes is also a known cause of dry skin, so you might want to get yourself tested for that.

Hydration is the best treatment for dry skin. You should try soaking your feet and hands in some warm water for a period of about 15 minutes everyday before drying it thoroughly. Apply some moisturizer on the affected areas of your skin before going to bed and cover your feet and hands with a pair of socks. This will allow the moisturizer to soak into your feet over the course of the night. If you experience some amount of itching along with the dry skin, you could also try soaking your feet in a mixture of water and baking soda. Another effective treatment option is to grate some potato and allow the shavings to soak in some olive oil. Apply the mixture over the cracked areas of the skin and let it rest for about 10 minutes before washing it off. You should also modify your diet to make sure that you have a high intake of vitamin E, zinc and omega 3 fatty acids to help condition your skin internally. These substances not only help your skin but are very beneficial for your overall health.

answered by G M

You have not specified what kind of pain you are experiencing. It is important to know if your pain is related to the cracks in your skin. Because if so, then you can be sure that the cracks are the cause of the pain. Cracked skin, anywhere on the body, is usually a result of excessive dryness. If you are suffering from this particular ailment, then it is easy enough to take care of it at home. Start by following a regimen which should last about a week for your skin top return to baby smoothness. Start by washing your feet properly and thoroughly. Then soak them in comfortably hot water for about 10 minutes. You can add a few drops of vitamin E oil to this water for better results. Remove from the hot water and pat dry. Then, apply a thick layer of pure vitamin E oil to your feet and encase them in thick cotton socks. It is better to follow this routine at night. That way, you will not be interfering with the process of hydration that will be taking place all night on your feet. If you cannot buy pure vitamin E oil, you also have several alternatives that can be used. Mustard oil is highly effective in taking care of cracked and dry skin. You can also use olive oil for good results. Clarified butter is also an excellent remedial substance to use for this particular ailment. But it will give off some smell, so you need to be aware and ready about that too. It is also better to use cotton socks. If you use synthetic materials, they can lead to your feet becoming much worse than they already are. Once your cracks have healed, then you can start following a proper routine of maintenance for your feet so that you do not have to suffer from this ailment again.

You should always wear protective footwear. This is particularly important if you are walking on hard surfaces continually. This is because when skin is dry and then you expose it to hard surfaces, then the skin will end up cracking. So you need to wear soft slippers or soft socks at all times. You should also make it a routine to wash and oil your feet each night before going to bed. For the day, you can buy a light grease free cream off the shelf and use that.

answered by G R