Foot Problems: Corns and Calluses

by MuminBusiness

Corns and calluses are foot problems that afflict almost everyone. Have a look at how you can treat them.

With summer coming up and in anticipation of the return of lovely sunlight, it may be time to start to consider the appearance of your feet. Sandals and flip flops are footwear favorites for the coming season.

Are you ready for your feet to be on display?

Have you gone through the winter with sore feet? Have any parts of your toes been rubbing against your boots? Have you any corns or calluses on your feet that need attention and treatment?

What is a corn? What is a Callus?

A lot of people suffer from these two uncomfortable issues.  In most cases, they are caused by something called hyperkeratosis – this is the thickening of the skin.  It is usually a safety response of the body to any discomfort being regularly applied.  The problems arise when the safety response becomes the problem. 

When your toes are continuously rubbing against each other or the sides of your footwear then the result is the formation of a corn or a callus.

As I mentioned before a lot of people suffer from this particularly women!  Why Women? We sometimes choose glamor over comfort.  Those stilettos look amazing and make your kegs look great but your feet probably feel quite uncomfortable.

Corns

Corns can be either soft or hard.

Soft – These usually appear between toes and look white and rubbery.  It is unsafe to try to treat this kind of a corn yourself.  You are best speaking to your pharmacist or going to see a podiatrist who is a specialist in the treatment of various foot problems.

Hard – These usually appear on the tops of outer sides of your toes.  They always have a hard central plug of skin and they appear round.

Calluses

These are a lot bigger than corns and tend to appear under the feet where all your body weight is carried.  Calluses are irregularly shaped and tend to have rough dry skin and are light yellow in color.

How can I treat Corns and Calluses?

There is an array of items available to deal with this issue.  We are almost universally afflicted by this foot problems so products have been created in abundance to solve the problem.

  1. A simple straightforward way of dealing with corns would involve the use of a foot file or pumice stone to try and reduce the amount of dry and hard skin on the affected areas.

    My husband and I have found that one of the best ways to do this is to immerse your feet in a foot bath or foot spa with some warm water.  When the skin softens, take a pumice stone and scrub gently to get rid of dead, hard skin.  Do not get too enthusiastic in one episode of soaking/scrubbing as you can end up with very sore areas of your feet if you scrub too much away.

    The great thing about foot spas is they are also pretty relaxing.  Imagine sitting in front of your favorite TV program and having your feet massaged with lovely aromatherapy fragrances dispersing in the air.  Every woman needs one of these (My husband uses mine!).

  2.  If this does not work on its own, you can use products that contain salicylic acid.  I once had a very painful corn on my little toe so I got one of the Dr Scholl corn plasters and stuck it on the corn for a few days.  The corn then softened so much that I was able to peel it off leaving me with baby soft skin.  It truly was a relief after the discomfort.

    The problem with salicylic acid is that it can also cause irritation to the surrounding skin if you are not pretty careful with it.  At worst, if applied without due care, you could end up with an ulcer.  You really must follow the instructions very carefully.  I sometimes tell patients to apply some Vaseline around the corn to dissuade the salicylic acid from affecting the surrounding areas.

    If in doubt, you are best speaking to a pharmacist.

  3. Prevention of corns and calluses is also essential as you do not want to get them back as soon as you return to your fall/winter boots and shoes.  These can be used to relieve discomfort even when still suffering with the corn or callus.

Are you based in the UK? Then get your Dr. Scholl's Corn/Callus Remover Liquid here.

UK readers can also get a Foot bath here.

Diabetic Patients

If you suffer from diabetes, please do not try anything here without fist seeing your physician.  People with diabetes are prone to getting problems on their feet as a result of poor blood flow or the destruction of the blood vessels that supply blood to these areas.  The fact that your nerves are impaired as well means you may not feel pain the same as people without diabetes.  For these reasons and more, it is always best to speak with your healthcare professional.

Enjoy having healthy feet with no corns or calluses!

Updated: 04/28/2012, MuminBusiness
 
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MuminBusiness on 05/13/2012

Sounds like a great idea. Thanks Earl!

Earl on 05/13/2012

Castor oil can help immensely in getting rid of corns. Before sleeping try dipping the tips of a cotton bud in castor oil and apply it o the surface of the of the corn or callus and bandage it with adhesive tape. If you don't want to stain your sheets, wear socks.

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