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Splitting between toes

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by veverka, Jul 2, 2008.

  1. veverka

    veverka New Member


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    My feet tend to split open between my toes. What can be done to prevent it and what kind of salve or lotion could be used to heal them up?
     
  2. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    DISCLAIMER:
    THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED GRATIS AS GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY, AND, AS SUCH, MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE TO THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONER AND/OR HIS/HER PROBLEM. IT IS CLEARLY NOT BASED ON ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTIONER OR HIS/HER MEDICAL HISTORY, AND IT CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE MEDICAL OPINION OR ADVICE. ONLY THROUGH HANDS- ON PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE ACTUAL PATIENT CAN ACCURATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS BE ESTABLISHED AND SPECIFIC ADVICE BE GIVEN. NO DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED OR ESTABLISHED OR MAY BE INFERRED. THE QUESTIONER AND/OR READER IS INSTRUCTED TO CONSULT HIS OR HER OWN DOCTOR BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ANY SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED HEREIN, AND TO ACT ONLY UPON HIS/HER OWN DOCTOR’S ORDERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. BY THE READING OF MY POSTING WHICH FOLLOWS, THE READER STIPULATES AND CONFIRMS THAT HE/SHE FULLY UNDERSTANDS THIS DISCLAIMER AND HOLDS HARMLESS THIS WRITER. IF THIS IS NOT FULLY AGREEABLE TO YOU, THE READER, AND/OR YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED THE AGE OF 18 YEARS, YOU HEREBY ARE ADMONISHED TO READ NO FURTHER.
    ***********************************************************
    First, it needs to be determined why you are having repeated fissuring of the skin between the toes. It may be that you have a chronic fungus infection, or maybe you have especially dry skin, perhaps compounded by excessive sweating or soaking of the feet unnecessarily, or you may have very fragile skin. What is to be done for it is determined by the cause, but fissuring and cracking of the skin between the toes is a potentially dangerous problem, as it allows bacteria to easily invade into an area that is a terrific incubator of disease. Salves and lotions and such do not cause healing, but they might help to mitigate situations which promote the cracking. If there are deep, open wounds, general principles of wound care are in order, and certainly, if you have any condition, such as poor circulation, diabetes or any complicating situation which slows the healing process, you should be evaluated by a podiatrist or other appropriate medical specialist before attempting self treatment.
     
  3. veverka

    veverka New Member

    Thank you.
     
  4. EdO

    EdO Guest

    I have had this recurring problem for about eight months now. I have had great luck with a large dab of Neosporyn on a bandaid. It usually clears up in about three days; but, I'd like to know what causes it and is there a prevention. Ed O'
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2010
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I wear work boots almost on a daily basis, and for 12+ hours a day. The skin on my left foot, on the underside and between the outer three toes is usually rubbed raw after a day at work, followed by dryness and splitting. It's getting progressively worse. I can't avoid the hours upon hours of sweat moisture, but what do you suggest? From what I can induce, this is do to the constant moisture. The skin is calloused in some places and just dry in others.
     
  6. Smokey

    Smokey Guest

    Re: the workboots: Have you tried moleskin? You can get it at any drugstore, and it can help prevent chafing and rubbing.
     
  7. Every time it comes time to wear flip flops my daughter after about 1 week of wearing the flip flops her feet between her toes, and on her toes they start out looking like scratches and like a few days after that they split wide open and each of them are not even a quarter inch long, anyways I have taken her to doctor several time and they all tell me to put valasilene really thick on her feet at bedtime and cover them with socks and it may help just a little but not alot at all.....please someone if you can help me with this I am really worried about her little feet she is 8 and last year she was a cheerleader and at the end of the games her little feet would hurt really bad.....I might add I tried several times to get her to quit due to this problem and she is just flat out wouldn't she is very tough but I am worried really really worried so please help me if you have a tip of advice or anything I will be tickled to get that!!

    Sincerely,
    Taybug's Mommy
     
  8. deb

    deb New Member

    I had trouble with my feet cracking and splitting and peeling and getting very red and itchy. I was tested for fungus but the dermatologist discovered I was allergic to carbo compounds including latex. So, shoes with rubber coming in contact with my feet caused reactions that seemed similar to fungus infections. Most shoes are made with rubber glue so contact with any residue of that could also cause reaction. I have found that using a thick zinc oxide cream like in baby cream works well as a barrier. and airing out my feet a lot. It takes a while to heal up and patience. If your feet have reactions similar to a fungus but do not heal up readily, check for allergies to latex, etc. as well.
     
  9. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I am not at all a doctor but this sounds more like Excema. My sister would get it on her hands often. She would have to sleep with vaseline on her hands and socks over them every night to let it heal. It helped a lot. But I would do this overnight to allow a longer exposure period. There are things a doctor can do to prescribe, too. Hope it helps.

     
  10. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I often have splitting between my toes but am unsure of the cause. I have found that Avon Cracked Heel Relief helps a lot.
     
  11. Rocco

    Rocco Guest

    I get this a lot and I find it helpful to get the sink bowl fill it with hot water and salt and soak for abit. Make sure you dry your feet and toes properly afterewards though.
     
  12. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Zim's wound care cream can fix this right up - or just about any lanolin/collagen based cream.
     
  13. Rev

    Rev Guest

    The first time this ever happened to me was about 15 years ago. It started out as I think minor foot fungus and it made the area between my left pinkie toe and ring toe itch and I used the nails of my other foot to scratch it overnight in my sleep. The most important thing is NOT TO SCRATCH IT. Resist the urge, get some foot cream to stop the itching, clean the sock bits from between your toes and invert your sucks and fluff the excess lint out. Scratching will break the skin and drastically increase your chances of infection. I learned this the hard way. After a while that area of my foot started to swell. I thought it was a spider bite. The swelling started to spread up to my ankle and it hurt trying to get my shoe on. After a day or two of this a friend informed me that there was no way it was a spider bite and I'd better go see a doctor because it was more serious. I needed antibiotics to get rid of it. The doctor figures it started out as fungal infection, and turned into an opportunity for something else to infect the open wound between my toes. Maybe a year later, the same starting symptoms, and I recognized the feeling of the infection starting up again. So again I went to the doctor and got antibiotics. Since then I think I've had 3 instances where I've had a crack open up between my left pinkie and ring toe (always seems to be the same spot) but I've done several steps each time and have not had a repeat infection since. I resisted the urge to scratch my foot with the other foot. Every time, I take my shoe off and try to let the area dry up, and I take off my sock and clean out any link between my toes and from inside the sock. I also use a bit of rubbing alcohol to try to kill anything on the surface (stings like crazy) and I use a bit of polysporin to promote healing. What I also find works if I absolutely have to wear a shoe is I take some paper towel (stiffer seems to work better) and fold/roll it up so I get something like a 1/2 inch wide by 5 inch long strip. I then stick the middle of that over the crack between the toes and fold the ends back over my foot, putting a sock on over it before putting on a shoe. The motion of putting on the sock and show should pull the towel strip and keep it between the toes. I think this works because it not only removes excess moisture and possibly sucks up bacteria, but it also keeps the toes apart and exposed to air so sweat doesn't collect in the wound to incubate anything. This strip I need to replace every hour or so since it can collect all the sweat and probably bacteria. The only drawback is having this "wedge" between the toes can cause a bit of physical pain due to the pressure of forcing the toes apart, but I gladly accept this bit of discomfort over a repeat of that infection experience any day.
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2013
  14. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Here is what works for me. Liberally whip the toes and feet with rubbing alcohol and let it dry out the area. Usually clears up the fungus in a day or two...
     
  15. octizombie

    octizombie Guest

    I had a stinging pain between the same toes all day and when i took my sock off, i had that, my skin looks like it is rottin/peeling off and it stings like crazy. so far everything i looked up sounded like athletes foot though, is that the fungal infection you had? and is it easy to treat if the cut is very open to raw skin?


     
  16. a white guy

    a white guy Guest

    that hasn't happened to me in a few years, but I just used a qtip doused in rubbing alcohol then use a bandaid with neosporin. it would normally clear up in 2-3 days. the alcohol stings like all hell, but then it feels like it was never there after the alcohol evaporates. I have been told by some people that this is a form of athletes foot, others said it's caused by cold weather exposure, some even said it's caused by a vitamin deficiency. I have also heard that it's from not washing your feet enough and/or wearing the same socks for more than a day (which I believe most). it could be multiple factors. I stopped wearing shoes w/o socks and wash my feet more thoroughly, and no splitting ever since.
     
  17. stuart

    stuart Guest

    wash my feet daily...change socks daily...wear the same work boots 5 days a week or more...winter cold seems to cause these sore red lines between toes that never heal even after time off work but I always wear socks even when in bed so they never truly dry out...not sure if thats the reason...these old dogs need somthing but not sure what...my feet are nearly always cold at work this winter and I blame it on poor circulation but the red lines won't heal even when off work...anybody know anything about this?
     
  18. LFLX

    LFLX Guest

    Just caught my first (and hopefully LAST) "splitting between the toes" bug 4 days ago. Red, raw, splits between the toes, no actual blood at all. Worse in between pinky toes, gets better as you get closer to the big toe.

    Doesn't hurt unless i walk around with shoes off.

    Been swabbing once an afternoon between the toes with rubbing alcohol followed by body cream.

    Daily clean sock wearer, boots 5 days a week 8+ hours a day. Lifelong walker 15-30k steps in a work day (i wear a pedometer) with no prior issues.

    Went on my first jog in YEARS last week... 100 bucks says this is related.



    Boy does this STING!!!!
     
  19. barefeets

    barefeets Guest

    Use Vicks vapo rub. I also get this when I wear open shoes/sandals for a couple of days at the beach. Put on the vapo rub with socks at bed time. Also helps with dry cracked heals or big toes.
     
  20. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Tie a string loosely around the cracked toe. Burning and itching immediately stop and it promotes healing. Old home remedy.
     
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