Corns & Calluses

What are corns and calluses?

Corns and calluses are thick layers of skin that form on your feet and toes. The skin hardens to protect itself from the persistent pressure or friction of a shoe that’s too tight or a musculoskeletal imbalance.

Calluses

Calluses often form on pressure points of your foot, such as your heel or balls of your feet. They can grow larger under persistent pressure on the skin.

Corns

Corns have a hard center and are smaller than calluses. They form on the tops of your toes or between them, and the skin around a corn may become swollen. Corns are generally painful when you press on them.

Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute provides evidence-based treatments for corns and calluses in adults and children.

When should I seek treatment for corns and calluses?

You should schedule an evaluation at Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute if you have corns or calluses that become painful, interfere with mobility, or cause embarrassment.

You should schedule a diabetic foot care appointment with the podiatry team if you have underlying medical conditions like diabetes that negatively affect blood circulation in your legs and feet. Treating corns and calluses yourself can lead to foot injuries that can worsen into a complex ulcer or infection. 

The podiatrists diagnose corns and calluses during a foot exam. They may also remove a layer of skin to ensure it’s not a wart or other abnormal growth.

How are corns and calluses treated?

The Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute team treats corns and calluses with the same methods. If you’re otherwise healthy, they may initially recommend protective pads to cover the hardened skin and ease existing discomfort.

Medicated patches containing salicylic acid remove corns and calluses layers at a time. You can also use a pumice stone to file the remaining bits of thickened skin. If corns and calluses are large or painful, the team can use a sharp tool to remove layers of thickened skin.

In addition to removing corns and calluses, the podiatrists provide resources to prevent them from recurring. They might recommend custom orthotics to relieve pressure on specific points of your foot or perform surgery to correct misalignments in the bones of your feet and ankles.

Call the Rogers Foot & Ankle Institute office near you to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for painful corns and calluses, or book a consultation online today.