Various Causes and Treatment of Corns and Calluses Removal Dallas, Tx.
Friction and pressure cause corns and calluses. Corns are calluses impacted into the skin and are often small, round, and painful on pressure. Calluses typically appear at the ball of the foot and heel. Ill-fitting shoes or foot deformities such as hammertoes and bunions can cause corns and calluses.
Pads can help relieve a painful corn or callus as well as periodic trimming by a podiatrist. In some cases, it’s necessary for the patient to get custom shoe inserts (functional orthotics) or surgery to correct the underlying deformity causing the corn or callus.
Corns and calluses can be annoying, but your body actually forms them to protect sensitive skin. Corns and calluses are often confused with one another.
Corns generally occur at pressure points, typically the bottom of the feet and the sides of toes. They can be painful.
A hard corn is a small patch of thickened, dead skin with a central core. A soft corn has a much thinner surface and usually occurs between the 4th and 5th toes. A seed corn is a tiny, discrete callous that can be very tender if it’s on a weight-bearing part of the foot
Calluses are thickenings of the outermost layer of the skin and are painless. They can develop on hands, feet, or anywhere there is repeated friction even on a violinist’s chin. Like corns, calluses have several variants.
Causes Corns and Calluses
Some corns and calluses on the feet develop from an improper walking motion, but most are caused by ill-fitting shoes.
High-heeled shoes are the worst offenders. They put pressure on the toes and make women four times as likely as men to have foot problems.
Rubbing or pressure can cause either soft corns or plantar calluses. If you or your child develops a callus that has no clear source of pressure, have it looked at by a podiatrist since it could be a wart or caused by a foreign body, like a splinter, trapped under the skin.
The following risk factors are linked to a higher incidence of corns and calluses:
· anything that causes pressure or friction on the skin
· shoes that are too tight or too high-heeled, causing pressure
· shoes that are too loose, causing friction
· a badly placed seam in a shoe that rubs against the skin
· walking barefoot regularly, as the skin will thicken to protect itself
· older age, as there is less fatty tissue in the skin, which means less padding and a higher risk of developing calluses, especially on the ball of the foot
Calluses often appear on the feet, but friction and pressure can also cause calluses on the hands.
People who frequently cycle or use hand tools without wearing gloves can develop them. Repeated kneeling or resting elbows on a table can cause calluses on the knees or elbows.
Bunions, hammertoe, and other foot problems and deformities increase the risk of corns and calluses. A bunion is an abnormal, bony bump that develops on the joint at the base of the big toe. A hammertoe is when a toe becomes curled up like a claw.
Care & Treatment for Corns and Calluses
Calluses are not necessarily bad for you, but if they are causing pain, they should be checked out immediately. Corns, however, can lead to staph infections and begin to secrete puss.
Topical medications are also available to help slow or prevent corn and callus regrowth. You should consult a podiatrist before applying any home remedies.
Treatments such as corn plasters will reduce the pressure on your corn but will not actually treat the corn.
Advice and options to treat corns and calluses include the following:
Trimming (paring down)
The thickened skin of a corn or callus can be pared down by a podiatrist by using a scalpel blade. The pain is usually much reduced as the corn or callus is pared down and the pressure on the underlying tissues eased.
Chemical treatment
There are different types of medicated products which work by chemically paring down the thickened, dead skin on corns and calluses.
Salicylic acid is a keratolytic, which means it dissolves the protein that makes up most of both the corn and the thick layer of dead skin which usually tops it.
Footpads and toe protection
Depending on the site of a corn or callus, a cushioning pad or shoe insole may be of benefit. A special toe splint may also help to keep your toes apart to allow a corn between toes to heal. A podiatrist will be able to advise you on any appropriate padding, insoles or appliances you may need.
Surgery
If you have a foot or toe abnormality causing recurring problems, an operation may be advised if all else fails. For example, an operation may be needed to straighten a deformed toe, or to cut out a part of a bone that is sticking out from a toe and causing problems. If you need an operation then you will be referred to a surgeon who will be able to discuss this with you in more detail.
Other care tips include:
Surprising Use for Pineapple Peel
Tape a piece of peel to the callus, flesh-side down, and the enzymes will go to work at softening it, making it easier to rub away with a pumice stone. Now you can enjoy the taste of summer and get your feel sandal-ready at the same time.
Corn Removal
To get rid of corns, you can use vinegar. Just soak a bandage in apple cider vinegar and apply it to the corn for a day or two.
You can also try soaking your feet in a shallow pan of warm water with half a cup of vinegar. Either way, finish by rubbing the corn with a clean pumice stone or emery board.
Castor Oil for Calluses
To soften calluses and get your feet ready for sandal season, use an old-fashioned stand-by:
castor oil. Before turning in for the night, rub castor oil into the problem spots on your feet, then cover with socks. Repeat nightly for a week to reveal soft, smooth skin.
