Overview
Corns and calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin that develop when the skin tries to protect itself against friction or pressure. They often form on feet and toes or hands and fingers. If you’re healthy, you don’t need treatment for corns and calluses unless they cause discomfort or you’re concerned about their appearance. For most people, simply removing the source of the friction or pressure makes corns and calluses disappear.
Types of Calluses and Corns
There are several types of corns and calluses:
- Hard Corns: These are compact patches of hard skin with a dense core, usually found on top of a toe or the outside of the little toe.
- Soft Corns: These are reddened, tender areas of skin with a thin, smooth center, typically found between toes.
- Seed Corns: These are small, often painful, plug-like circles of dead skin that usually form on the heel or ball of the foot.
Causes of Calluses and Corns
Corns and calluses are caused by pressure or rubbing of the skin on the hands or feet. This could happen due to:
- Wearing high heels, uncomfortable shoes, or shoes that are the wrong size
- Not wearing socks with shoes
- Lifting heavy weights
- Playing a musical instrument
Risk Factors of Calluses and Corns
Some people are more prone to developing corns and calluses than others. These risk factors include:
- Having dry or thickened skin
- Being overweight or obese
- Having flat feet or high arches
- Sweating excessively
- Having poor circulation or nerve damage in the feet
Symptoms of Calluses and Corns
Symptoms of corns and calluses include:Preventions of Calluses and Corns
Prevention methods include:
- Wearing thick, cushioned socks
- Wearing wide, comfortable shoes with a low heel and soft sole that do not rub
- Using soft insoles or heel pads in your shoes
- Soaking corns and calluses in warm water to soften them
- Regularly using a pumice stone or foot file to remove hard skin
- Moisturizing to help keep skin soft
Diagnosis of Calluses and Corns
The doctor can recognize a callus by looking at it. Occasionally, a layer of skin might be scraped off for differential diagnosis, in which case, a wart bleeds, but a callus does not.
Treatment for Calluses and Corns
Treatment aims to reduce the repetitive pressure and friction on the skin by wearing protective clothing e.g. gloves when handling tools; using protective pads. Medication for Calluses includes Salicylic acid (Keratolytic agents: Available as patches). Callus removal can be done by sanding down using a pumice stone or silicon carbide sandpaper, filed using a callus shaver or trimmed by the doctor with a scalpel.
When to seek medical attention ?
Consult your doctor if you notice any corns or calluses. If you have any other medical conditions that make you prone to ulcers or infections, let your doctor know if you develop corns or calluses. If you have corns or calluses that become infected or painful, seek medical attention.
