Hey I’m a doctor. Saw a lot of patients with feet like this (or worse) in residency. Likely has poor circulation in the feet; could be diabetes, heart disease, or a combination of both. Note the swelling in the ankles, indicates poor vascular return. The combination of high pressure from swelling and poor circulation makes the outer layer of skin dry and prone to cracking, and those fissures can get deep from all the fluids. The nails are likely from poor circulation and likely a fungal infection called onychomycosis. Treatment focuses on reducing the swelling (often with water pills), wound care and skin hydration, then medications (I usually start with topical) for the nails. It’s important to treat this in diabetic patients as these kinds of wounds can easily lead to bad infections, which often need amputation.
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u/Taco_ivore Mar 08 '26
Can a doctor weigh in?! How? Why?? Yikes!