But they do have two things in common: pressure and friction. Your feet are made to take a beating – the skin on the soles of your feet is 40 times thicker than anywhere else on your body. However, constant friction and stress can eventually lead to these uncomfortable eyesores. Figure out if what you have is a corn or a callus and then learn how to treat it and prevent future occurrences.
Do I have a callus or corn?
Most of us are familiar with calluses on our hands, especially if you play an instrument or sport. Calluses on the feet look the same; they’re just buildups of hardened skin that your body creates to protect itself from damage on the heel or ball of the foot. Thanks, body! Too bad they don’t look so cute in sandals. A corn looks like a callus, but it is located around the toe area, maybe even between your toes. Another difference between corns and calluses is that corns hurt while calluses do not. Corns have a hard center (also made of skin) that may press on a nerve and make walking a pain.
1. Treating Calluses and Corns at Home
If you would like to treat your callus at home, first make friends with your pumice stone. If you don’t have one, you can pick one up at the local drugstore. Hop in the shower or prepare a footbath and soak your foot for at least five minutes so that the tissue softens. Then rub it with the pumice stone but don't scrub so hard that it hurts. Be prepared for a multi-day process. Afterward, slather on a lanolin cream or petroleum jelly to soften the skin.
2. See a Podiatrist
If you want the callus gone quickly or if it hurts, visit a podiatrist. The foot doctor will shave off the layers of skin. Of course, there are tools called callus shavers that you can purchase at the drugstore to remove them yourself, but you’ll have to be very diligent about disinfecting both your foot and the tool. While a callus can be annoying or unsightly, a foot infection can be a huge inconvenience as you will likely end up at the doctor’s office, not to mention the time off your feet.
3. Salicylic Acid Isn’t Just for Pimples
Treating a corn follows the same steps as a callus for the most part. Doctors sometimes apply salicylic acid to a corn after shaving it to help slough off skin. Again, there are salicylic acid products in drugstores that you can buy but be very careful with them as misuse can cause burns or overly irritate the skin.
4. Donuts for Your Feet
To keep a corn protected from infection and more abrasion while it heals, purchase some tiny pads called ‘donuts’ from your local drugstore. They cushion the corn and keep it clean.
Stop the Pressure! Preventing Calluses and Corns These 3 Ways
In an in-depth report on corns and calluses, the New York Times (NYT) indicates that ill-fitting shoes cause most foot pain. But don’t immediately cast your stilettos as the culprits. There are a lot of shoe-related mistakes a girl could make. Below are three of them.
5. Keep it Fresh: Don't Always Wear Closed-Toe High Heels
A tight shoebox causes more problems than open-toed shoes. This is because they force your toes into an unnatural shape. Open-toed allow them to spread out a bit for better foothold and less friction.
6. Wear the Right Shoe for the Right Activity
For exercise fanatics, running every day or taking Zumba classes in the wrong shoes can mean getting a corn quicker than dropping five pounds. Wearing sneakers that are too loose or too tight can speed up corn or callus development. Wear running shoes for running. These weigh just ounces and have increased arch support (if you need it). For aerobic classes with a lot of side-to-side plus front-to-back motion, buy sneakers with padding around the perimeter. You can find this info listed on the sides of the box.
7. Don't Forget about Your Feet at Work
According to the same NYT report, about 120,000 foot injuries happen at work each year, with 40,000 of those related to the toes. If you work on your feet but love your heels, save them for after hours. Switching footwear throughout the day keeps both your shoes and feet in good condition.
Neither Foot Pain Nor Growths Are Normal
Have you seen a career woman’s bare feet after decades in heels? Beauty doesn’t have to equal pain. Your feet don’t have to look like that. Just take some simple precautions such as:
- Don’t wear shoes that are too tight or too loose. Be the Goldilocks of shoe shopping; don’t stop until it fits just right!
- When shoe shopping, try to go in the afternoon when your feet have swollen to their largest size.
- Podiatrists never recommend wearing heels. But if you are in love with how great they make your legs and booty look, keep your feet pain-free by purchasing pairs with a lot of room in the toe box (and no seams for your toes to rub against) as well as thick heels (wedges are cute and in style!).
- For shoes that you currently own, make them more foot friendly with cushioned inserts.
- Socks are some of the best cushions! If you like to rock something like boat shoes that don’t necessarily look the best with socks, look for the low-profile style of sock that fits your foot like a bootie. They hardly extend over the upper portion of your foot so are virtually invisible.