Corns and Calluses

Corns and Calluses

They’re just dead skin. A bunch of hardened skin cells with no better job than to cushion the bone underneath. Corns and calluses form on parts of your feet where there is excessive friction due to underlying bony deformities. Extra layers of skin form in these areas, creating calluses on the bottom of your feet and corns on the top. They’re annoying, to be sure, but you can ease the discomfort with a few simple steps.

Try This First

Get fitted. Corns and calluses are your first warning sign that your shoes don’t fit properly, says Donna Astion, M.D., associate chief of foot and ankle service for the Hospital for Joint Diseases, Orthopaedic Institute in New York City. Go to a shoe store that has professionals who will carefully measure your feet—both length and width—before you start trying on shoes. Avoid shoes that rub corns or calluses.

Other Wise Ways

Have patience with a pumice. The best way to make a painful corn or callus smaller is to rub it with a pumice stone or abrasive pad, says Dr. Astion. Soften your feet by soaking them in plain lukewarm water for 5 to 10 minutes. Then use the stone to rub off dead skin a little at a time. Finally, massage some moisturizing cream onto your feet.

Get them wet. To keep your feet soft, try this natural remedy. Buy a foot soak containing the herb calendula, which is available in many health food stores or drugstores. Following package directions, mix the calendula with water and give your feet a good long soak. This herbal soak, done once a week or so, will loosen up dead skin and help new skin cells grow, says James J. Berryhill, Ph.D., naturopathic doctor in Decator, Georgia.

Use padding. On that pharmacy rack that offers dozens of foot-care supplies, you’ll find protective pads for your feet. The package directions will tell you what to do. Every morning before you put on your shoes, put the pads around those areas where you tend to form corns or calluses, says Ernest Levi, D.P.M., podiatrist in private practice in New York City.

Avoid the medicated products. The word “medicated” may seem like a guarantee that your foot won’t get infected if you use protective foot pads carrying that label. But in fact, the acids contained in those medicated pads can actually irritate the skin of older people and possibly lead to infection, according to Dr. Levi. Choose the unmedicated kind instead, he advises.