Calluses and Corns

Treatment Overview

Calluses or corns usually do not need treatment unless they cause pain. If they do cause pain, the treatment goal is to remove the pressure or friction that is causing the callus or corn, to give it time to heal. Initial treatment generally involves things you can do at home. These include carefully choosing your footwear, using a pumice stone, and using over-the-counter (nonprescription) salicylic acid products.

If you have diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, peripheral neuropathy, or other conditions that cause circulatory problems or numbness, talk to your doctor before trying any treatment for calluses or corns.

Depending on the location of the callus or corn and on other conditions that you may have, such as diabetes, you have several treatment options. You can:

• Have your doctor pare (trim) the callus or corn with a small knife. Your doctor can do this in his or her office.
• Reduce the size of the callus or corn yourself by soaking your callus or corn in warm water and then using a pumice stone to lightly wear away the dead skin. Never cut the corn or callus yourself, especially if you have diabetes or other conditions that cause circulatory problems or numbness.
• Wear shoes that fit well and are roomy, with wide and deep toe boxes (the area that surrounds the toes). A wider toe box keeps the toes from pressing against each other, relieving pressure on soft corns. A deeper toe box keeps the toes from pressing against the top of the shoe, relieving pressure on hard corns. Thicker soles can help relieve pressure on calluses when you are walking. For more information, see:

  Finding the right footwear for your foot problem.

• Use protective padding such as moleskin or orthotic shoe inserts to cushion the callus or corn or to hold the foot and toes in a more comfortable position to prevent rubbing. Your doctor can help you position padding on your feet or in your shoes.
• Use salicylic acid to soften the callus or corn. You can then rub the callus or corn off with a pumice stone. Some doctors advise against using salicylic acid because it can damage surrounding skin. If you use salicylic acid, be sure to apply it only to the callus or corn and not to the surrounding skin.
• Use metatarsal bar inserts for your shoes, to distribute your weight more evenly over the ball of your foot. Athletes who run a lot may wear orthotic shoe inserts for the same purpose.

Surgery

Surgery is rarely used to treat calluses or corns.¹ But if an underlying bone structure (such as a hammer toe or bunion) is causing a callus or corn, surgery can be used to change or remove the bone structure. This is used only if other treatment has failed. If treatment for soft corns does not work, the skin between the bases of the two toes can be sewn together (syndactylization). This creates a partial webbing where the soft corn had been. Another corn cannot form over this webbing.

Complications

Untreated calluses and corns can cause:

• Pain while you are walking or wearing shoes.
• A change in posture or walking style to avoid pain.
• Inflammation of the fluid between the skin and the bone (bursitis).
• Blisters.
• An infection of the bone (osteomyelitis) or a bacterial infection of a joint (septic arthritis).
• A sore (ulcer) on the skin.

If you have diabetes, you are more likely to get sores on your feet. In one study of more than 200 diabetic foot sores, people who had calluses and corns pared frequently by a doctor had fewer foot sores, fewer visits to the hospital, and fewer surgeries because of the sores.²

What To Think About

Be careful when you use a pumice stone to reduce the size of a callus or corn. If you take off too much skin and go too deep, the area may bleed or become infected.

Some corn pads contain medicine inside the pad. This often softens the corn too much and causes infection. It is best to avoid this type of pad.

If a corn or callus on your foot is painful and does not go away, you may want to see a doctor who specializes in foot problems (podiatrist).

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Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: December 7, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology
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