The body responds by thickening the skin to protect it from future injury. Corns and calluses are normally painless but can cause pain if they push on a nerve or rub on a bone.

What are Corns and Calluses?

Corns are tiny, spherical patches of thickened skin that typically develop on the toes.

Calluses are thickened regions of skin that typically occur on weight-bearing surfaces, such as the soles of the feet.

Corns and calluses appear to protect your skin from friction. However, they do have certain drawbacks:

• Corns and calluses can look unattractive.
• They can become inflamed and uncomfortable, particularly corns.
• Corns and calluses might pose a medical risk if your circulation or nerves are weakened, like if you suffer from diabetes.

What Causes Corns and Calluses?

Corns and calluses are frequently caused by friction and pressure on the skin.

This can occur if you wear ill-fitting shoes, walk barefoot on a hard or rough surface, or have another rough surface repeatedly rub against your feet.

Corns typically occur on your feet, and calluses are most commonly found on the feet, although they can also appear on the palms of your hands or other parts of the body. Corns and calluses are not hazardous and rarely cause pain. However, if they cause pain, you should seek treatment immediately.

Can Corns and Calluses be Treated at Home?

It is not always necessary to seek expert help for corns and calluses. There are a few things you can do to help them at home.

Wearing well-fitting shoes with enough room for your toes is one technique to lessen them. This will remove any shoes that created the friction in the first place, as well as prevent fresh friction from developing on the corns and calluses.

Moleskin pads and other conservative therapies can also cushion and shield the damaged area, allowing it to heal on its own.

In addition, bathing your feet in warm water might help soften the firm skin. You can gently thin them out with an emery board or a pumice stone to remove any dead skin. Take care not to remove too much skin since this can cause a wound to open up and become infected.

After soaking and filing, apply lotion or moisturizing cream to the affected region daily to help smooth the skin.

Corns and calluses can be treated at home with proper care and attention. Learn about the advantages of custom orthotics.

When Should I See a Doctor About Corns and Calluses?

In some cases, seeing one of our podiatrists for corns and calluses may be beneficial. Here are some:

• If you have diabetes or neuropathy, have our experts examine your corns or calluses. These factors can make corns and calluses more difficult to heal, as well as increase your risk of wounds, infections, and blisters.
• You should come in and have them checked out if they are painful. In addition to pain, redness, swelling, and discharge are all symptoms that may suggest the need for medical attention.
• If they keep returning, it's probably time to have them examined by our doctors. This could be a symptom of an underlying issue that we can help you resolve.

When to Consider Surgery

Typically, surgical excision of a callus is not necessary because the hard skin can usually be removed without surgery. Corns, on the other hand, may necessitate surgery.

In addition to improving the appearance of your feet, corn removal surgery can alleviate the pain associated with corn. If you need a nidificated surgeon, you may search “corn removal surgery near me”.

Although conservative treatment measures such as wearing roomier shoes and applying moleskin pads might help manage corns in healthy people who aren't in too much pain, surgery to remove them may be considered in many ways.

People with diabetes or other circulatory-weakening disorders may find it beneficial.

Diabetics frequently have poor blood circulation and a loss of sensation called neuropathy, which can make pain difficult to detect and recovery more difficult to attain. A delay in diagnosis can potentially result in infection.

Surgery may also be the best option for those who are in severe pain or have difficulties following normal activity regimens or wearing shoes.

Intense pain and suffering when walking are not conditions that anyone should have to deal with.

Corrective surgery should also be considered if a structural abnormality of the foot or toes has resulted in the recurring development of corns or calluses.