Men do get cracked heels, I notice that in the summer. My husband has very soft heels and feet but he always wears socks and flat comfortable shoes 99% of the time, rarely sandals and rarely barefeet so you might have a point.

My heels get dry from wearing sandals and open-back shoes with no socks, which is most of the time here in California. Men don't usually do that.

A friend of mine pointed out that one gets cracked heels from wearing open backed shoes with no socks. I was skeptical about this theory, but since that conversation, I have noticed that this does seem to be the case in my experience. Since then, if I do wear sandals, I wear socks unless I am at the beach or somewhere where my feet will get wet.

Most of the time I stick with canvas shoes in the summer rather than sandals, feet don't seem to get so ragged that way.

My pedicurist told me that the tissue on the bottom of your feet is very porous like a sponge. She says after showering you MUST dry your feet thoroughly or the water build up in there and causes the skin to stretch and therefore split

Hate to differ, newbegin, but if I dry my feet well it's only between my toes. I wear socks or hosiery and my heels are always soft. In summer, if I wear sandals or go barefoot, in a couple of days I can see my heels get rough so shoes go back on. Other causes for cracked heels and feet are severe foot fungus.

About once a month or so when I am going to wear white sox and sneakers, I liberally apply baby oil gel to the bottoms of my feet. Then I put on the sox and sneakers and by the time I take them off, my feet are nice and smooth, especially the heels. You might have to do this 2 days in a row if your heels are really cracked. You could probably do the same thing with socks at night, but I don't like to wear socks at night. I wash my white socks in hot water and bleach which removes any traces of baby oil. I tried it with darker socks, but a warm water wash didn't remove the oil.

I have stopped going barefoot due to plantar fascitis. I no longer have rough heels. They feel like a babies butt. I went bare foot unless I was outside. I just noticed this the other day. It's a bonus b/c I do hate wearing shoes in the house

Wow... This is informative but yet kind of disturbing and disgusting.

I've determined for my own problem with this, that it is ultraviolet damage as much as anything else associated with backless "crocs" or sandals. Have been using moisturizing sunscreen prior to exposure when I can remember. Seems to have helped. I also use a rasp at the first sign and then vaseline and sox - overnight, if bad.

Queen Helene's Cocoa Butter is where it's at! A couple bucks at the pharmacy and it works wonders. I use on feet with socks, and nails to make them supple.

I have struggled with cracked, dry, rough, painful feet for years.My Dermatologist and I worked for 2yrs to get it under control. Finally after umpteen prescriptions we found one that works it is called Urea. I put in on in the morning after I shower and rub it in until absorbed. While I was on vacation in Gatlinburg I discovered FootSatin by Epiphany Perfume Co and I use it at night just before I go to bed. It is made mostly of glycerin and peppermint oil and both together have managed to keep my feet in very good shape. The heels are a little rough, but nothing like before. My Dermatologist couldn't believe it when he saw how good they looked, but he said that I will always have to use something daily on my feet to keep them in good shape. I am willing to do whatever I have to so they don't go back to what they were like before. It has been a huge battle for both my Dermatologist and myself.

I like Gold Bond Ultimate Softening Cream...I use it several times a day when I'm wearing socks, I always have soft feet.

For the past 50 years, I've used lots of lotion after every shower/bath. I've used Jergens Ultra Healing for 10 years, but even so my heals get rough. Moving to Florida from Colorado really helped (humid vs. dry air), but didn't cure it. I've started using Footlogix every other night and it seems to be working. I just looked at the label, and the second ingredient (after water) is Urea, So maybe that is in agreement with K Sissy (above).

My in laws both had cracked, bleeding, painful heels...so even though my own parents didn't, I started using cream or lotion on my feet years ago.

Try O'Keefe's Working Hands or their Working Feet.

I like "Heel Tastic". I buy it at Wal-Mart or Meijer. Rub it on at night and wear white cotton thin socks to bed.

When I'm in the high desert, my heels crack even though I wear socks day and night, (so it's not UV light). When I'm in a more humid climate, the thick skin and cracking gradually reduce.

Anything greasy helps. I use lanolin. I still have to scrape the thick callous off at least once a week when I'm in the high desert, or it will crack, grease or no.

When I have a painful crack in my heel, what heals it quickly is to simply cover it with tape or a bandaid. I wash my feet, dry them (so the tape will stick), stuff a tiny bit of greasy stuff inside the crack, such as Chapstik or lanolin, and then put tape or a bandaid over it. Then I wear socks, of course. Within 8 hours it stops hurting, sometimes within 1 hour. Tape works even without stuffing a greasy dab in the crack, but not quite as quickly. Sometimes in the driest weather when cracks seem inevitable, I tape my heels preventively and it does work.

My father used to get visibly thick cracked heels, in a humid climate in the US, but he never complained of them hurting, and i never saw him limp from it (so it's not only women, though it's true I've only ever had the discussion come up with woman friends or sisters).

I use plain ole vaseline. After my shower I smear some on my heels and put socks on for the night. That really helps with the cracks. I get them mostly in the winter when the heat is on in the house.

Yes men do! My husband had that problem. They have a heel stick you can buy it works wonders. I think its heel tastic

My brother had cracked heels and his massage technican said to stop drinking caffine...it has helped alot.

My dermatologist said vaseline at night and socks over. Ideally, after showering or soaking feet. I don't wear sandals anymore (not enough support for arches), just shoes, so it's not that. My husband has the worst cracked heels I've ever seen. he also wears shoes.

Open-backed sandals, high heels, and thin-soled shoes don’t offer much support or protection for the heel, which can lead to dryness and cracking over time.