I Tried A Foot Peel Treatment, And Here's What Happened

before and after of woman's heels with an exfoliating foot peel

Foot Peel Treatments For Dry Heels And Feet

Exfoliating foot peels are a recent trend that I’ve been interested in trying for a while now. I’ve struggled with incredibly dry, rough heels for years, and I’m always interested in new treatments that claim to be good for dry feet.

The more I learned about these intensive peeling foot treatments, the more intrigued I felt! So I finally decided not only to do one to see whether the results were really all they were cracked up to be, but to catalog the experience here for your benefit!

But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

woman's foot while using a peeling foot treatment

What Is A Foot Peel?

A foot peel treatment involves the application of chemical exfoliants to your feet for a certain period of time to loosen the bond between dry, dead skin and the soft, smooth skin underneath. After several days, the dry, rough, callused skin will then start to peel away, and once the peeling process is done, your feet are left visibly smoother and soft to the touch.

Benefits Of Exfoliating Foot Peels

Foot peel treatments can:

Remove calluses
Soften rough, cracked feet
Get rid of dead skin

woman holding up the box for a peeling foot treatment

Which Peeling Foot Treatment Should I Use?

There are a lot of exfoliating foot peels to choose from online, but I ultimately settled on using a foot peel mask by Plantifique. The “masks” are disposable booties that come pre-filled with a rich blend of lactic and salicylic acids for exfoliation, as well as aloe vera and fruit extracts to nourish and moisturize the skin.

Another thing I liked about the Plantifique foot masks is what wasn’t in them. They’re free from silicone, lanolin, parabens, and sulphate, and they aren’t tested on animals either.

How To Use A Foot Peel Mask

Step 1 – Soak

Before putting on the actual booties, soak your feet in warm water for about 15 minutes. This will soften any rough, dry skin on your feet and make it easier for the ingredients to sink in. Pat skin dry.

Step 2: pull one bootie over each foot and secure them in place

Step 2 – Treat

Pat your feet dry, then pull one bootie over each foot and secure them in place. (If they don’t feel particularly secure, you can always put socks on over them.)

You need to wear the booties for 60-90 minutes, so settle in with a good book or movie and relax. (I consider this an extra benefit, as I certainly don’t mind relaxing for an hour!) When you’re done, gently wash your feet with soap and water to remove any residue.

Step 3 – Wait For Your Feet To Peel

Between 5 and 12 days after the treatment, the dead skin on your feet will begin to peel off. Throughout this period, you’ll want to soak your feet for about 15 minutes every day to help loosen the dead skin and keep the flakiness under control.

Your skin may continue to peel for a week or two, depending on how much dead skin was on your feet to begin with. It will look a bit gnarly, but that’s to be expected with this type of treatment.

Note: Because the entire process can take 2-3 weeks, it’s not something you want to do right before a big event. Just something to keep in mind!

The Takeaway

When all was said and done, I was pretty shocked by how well this foot peel treatment worked! By the time my feet stopped peeling, my feet were so smooth and soft that I almost didn’t recognize them! I bought a set of 2 foot peel masks, so I’ve vowed to use the second one before my heels get quite so dry as they were before I did this.

Author’s Note: If you’re wondering why these photos only show my right foot, it’s a long story, but it boils down to the fact that I have a long-standing chronic wound on my left foot that is both very delicate and very slow to heal. As it is currently in decent shape, I didn’t want to risk a setback!