Greetings,
This story is long, but I appreciate all who can spend the time to read it and reply.
About 9 years ago when I was a young 41, the bottom of my feet started to crack open. It was not all over the foot, but in the arch of the foot. Somtimes the cracking would also be where the toes connected to the foot, and on the toe, above the nail. I thought it was from something the lawn service put on the grass.
I did not make a connection at that time, but I did have allergies flare up starting with the age 39. I assumed they were from our move to the desert. Ladies magazines told of body changes at the age of 40 where woman who never had allergies would suddenly get them.
I felt that I was aging rapidly. I was sneezing 50 times a day, and blowing my nose so much, I always had a red nose! This was year round. I was hobbeling like an old lady. When your feet hurt, all of your body seems to hurt!
I went to a dermatologst. He told me that it was nothing more then sweat from the shoes making the skin moist and walking where the arch is extended and air hits it, the skin drys, and the extention of walking causes the foot to crack. He gave me a RX for some cream that I couldn't afford to fill.
A year of two later, the problem continued to get worse. It was always worse in the winter, and better in the summer. It seemed like I couldn't wear tennis shoes at all. One day in tennis shoes and I would get cracks that tooks 6 weeks to heal. I tried to buy many new pairs to see if I was allergic to something in the shoe. All brand of tennis shoes caused good skin to crack open!
The summers were best. As long as I wore a totally open shoe where air cirrculated all around my foot, the cracking was minimal.
I tried every item on the shelves for feet and hand and skin conditions. I tried everything I could get my hands on if it costs $10.00 or less. I couldn't afford to buy things off the internet or fill an RX for $80 and up just to find the product did not work.
What was happening was the need to "sand" down the skin in the arch. I got these sanding blocks from a beauty supply store and would have to remove the hard tight skin daily to keep the area from cracking. It appeared as if the layer that would grow over the cracks would be so thick and dry, that it had no flex to it. Over night a crack would seem to heal with the dry hard skin layer. As soon as I walked, the dry skin would crack open again. The whole thing was much like trying to heal a cut on your nuckle!
I went to a foot MD. He said it was a reverse case of "moccasin foot". He also gave me an RX that cost over $120. It was impossible for me to pay that much for an experiment! I never filled the RX and continured to suffer.
I felt like a little old lady. The first step out of bed was the start of a new day in pain, or a day of healing. Many times the first step cracked the skin. It did not matter if I slept with socks on with bag balm on or if I put lotion on before I took a step. It was as if there was no normal skin. It was thick and dry and ready to crack, or it was sanded and new smooth skin, thin and ready to crack from the hard skin removed that protected it.
A few more years went on. I tried every lotion on the market. Nothing helped!
I started thinking that maybe I was allergic to rubber and plastic. I got this idea from something I read about how shoes use to be made from leather and now all insoles say "man made materials". I shopped for shoes with leather against my feet. I could find only a few sandles that were flat. I was in much better shape in a raised heel. It was as if there was less movement to cause cracking. I did find one pair. They did make a difference. It seemed like leather would allow the skin to heal. There was a noticable difference. I couldn't wear them every day, as they were made in India and covered with multi colored beads! They also wore out very fast! I believe to this day that if I could find leather shoes, I would not have the problems I have.
I went to another dermatalogest. It is hard to find one that seems to care about conditions of the skin. All of them seem to be more concerned with botox and cosmetic issues.
This one did a scraping and said there was a fungus found common in carpets.
He gave me some free samples of a cream that seemed to help, and a RX for the cream. When I went to get it filled, it was again something I couldn't afford. The samples seemed to help a little, and lasted about 3 weeks, but there was not much difference for the $85.00 required for the cream.
The years went on and my feet were in constant pain, as was my nose!
I want anyone reading this to get the full picture; At this point, I was in my late 40's, I looked to be in my 30's, I was wearing shoes that look like an 80y/o person would wear, flat, orthopedic, leather insoles, etc. I had 50 pairs of cute shoes but I can't wear any of them without cracking!.
In Feb of 2005, I developed a red rash on my shin. It grew from an area the size of a quarter to the size of a fist. I tried all the usual over the counter things. Nothing helped. I went to a walk-in clinic were a nurse looked at it. She said it was contact dermatitus. Of course, this makde no sense to me since my legs were always in pants, both at the same time! How would one leg get exposed to something and not the other! She gave me an RX for Fluocinonide Cream 0.05%.
It was only $20! I could afford to try it on my leg.
I put it on my leg 4 times a day, and could see a difference in the red area in just 24 hours. I took a shot and put some on one of my cracked feet areas. I decide to take a picture with my digital camera of the cracks and the progress for the first 3 days. In 24 hours, it was better! I kept putting it on the same bad foot and did the normal lotions on the other. My one foot was healing! There was a huge difference in the condition of the treated foot. I put the cream on both feet as well as the leg. The leg healed as did both of the feet!
The cracks closed. the new skin wasn't as thick and hard as before. I did not have to sand as often, but still needed to. I could reduce the sanding to every other day, then every 3 day, and now about every 4th day.
I was thrilled! I could walk! The new skin was looking like normal skin! My leg healed and suddenly, my allergies seemed to go away by about 90%!!!
This was strange! Some days they seemed gone all together. It is now down to normal seasonal allergies. My feet seem to heal. It took about 6 weeks to have the whole area fill in with good skin. I could see it develop in patches. You can see it more when I get out of the shower. The new skin is pinker and looks different when it is wet.
I used up my tube of 60 gm. About 3 days went by without the cream, and I would feel a crack again. I had 3 refills so I went to get another tube. I put it on and the crack quickly heals.
It is now May. I have to put the cream on my feet on a regular basis or the cracks come back. My feet appear to be very dry with a light layer of "crusty" skin.
I now see the red area coming back on my shin. This time I see it coming on both legs. Where the red spot was before on the one leg, there is a different looking skin in its place after it was healed. Just like my feet, it really looks different when it is wet.
I don't know where to go, a foot MD, a skin MD, a witch MD, etc! It was suggested by my womans health clinic that perhaps the severe allergies was the body's reaction to the cracks in my feet being deep enough to allow fungus or whatever was in my foot, to get in in to my blood system. That would explain why my allergies have nearly cleared up!
The issue at hand is what is wrong with my feet and now legs? Perhaps these are totally unrelated, however, they both heal up with the same cream and return when I don't use the cream. Maybe I have to use the cream forever?
There is an explaination somewhere. I'm nearly 50 now. I have spent the last 9 years in pain. With the red areas growing on both my shins now, I wonder if it is related and will it ever go away just like my feet?
Any ideas?