Corns / Callous

Callous’s are thickened, hard skin that occurs on the foot in areas that receive increased friction or pressure. Corns appear as a horny thickening of the skin on the toes or beneath the foot. This thickening appears as a cone shaped mass pointing down into the skin and is often surrounded by callous. They are actually a normal and natural way for the body to protect itself (the soft tissues beneath the skin), similar to your hands.  If the pressure continues the skin gets thicker and usually becomes painful. This often feels like there is a stone bruise or you will feel as if you are “walking on pebbles”

There are three main types of corns or callous which occur on our feet;

• Callous can occur anywhere on the foot that is susceptible to increased pressure. It appears in a diffuse area of hard skin which is yellowish  in colour  and can often have cracks (or fissures) within them.
• Hard corns are usually located on the outer surface of the little toe or on the upper surface of the other toes, but can occur between the toes as well as the bottom of the foot over a prominent bone or an area of high pressure
• A soft corn occurs between the toes and often appears white and macerated (or soggy). These can be further implicated by a tinea pedis (fungal) infection due to the moist nature of the soft corn.

Common causes of callous and corns are:

• Deformities of the toes such as hammer toes, claw toes, bunions- all predispose the foot to areas of increased pressure
• Tight or incorrectly fitted footwear
• gait abnormalities which cause the foot to be overloaded in particular areas
• bony prominences

At Advance Foot clinic treatment of corns and callous is relatively painless and you will generally experience relief immediately. Our podiatrists offer a wide variety of treatments to improve and limit the symptoms suffered from corns and callous.