What is it?

Calluses are those thick hard masses of skin that can form on the bottom of the feet and toes due to excessive pressure or friction.

Patients often feel as if they are “walking on a stone” because of the hard nature of the skin. If pressure becomes concentrated in small area, a ‘hard’ corn may develop. Sometimes the pressure of the corn or callus may produce inflammation which can result in acute pain, swelling and redness.

Furthermore to being painful at times, these areas are often signs of more complex foot disorders related to the biomechanical function of the feet (flat feet), structural deformity (bunions, arthritis) or skin conditions (such as psoriasis).

How is it treated?

First of all – do not do it yourself without seeing a podiatrist first! Poor self-cutting can easily lead to infection. Corns & calluses are treated by painless debridement of the symptomatic tissue & advice is given to the patient to best maintain their feet between visits. Further evaluation is also available to address the biomechanical issues which may be the causing factor.