Corns and Calluses Information - Side Effects, Uses and Benefits
19 July 2007What are these Conditions?Corns and calluses are thickened areas of skin that tend to occur in areas of the body that experience repeated pressure and friction Âusually the feet. The prognosis is good with proper foot care.
What Causes them?
A corn usually is caused by external pressure, such as that from ill-fitting shoes, or less commonly, from internal pressure, such as that from a protruding underlying bone (due to arthritis, for example).
A callus is an area of thickened skin, generally found on the foot or hand, produced by external pressure or friction. People whose activities or jobs involve repeated trauma (for example, manual laborers or guitarists) commonly develop calluses.
The severity of a corn or callus depends on the degree and duration of trauma.
What are the Symptoms?
Both corns and calluses cause pain. Corns contain a central core made up of a protein called keratin, are smaller and more clearly defined than calluses, and are usually more painful. The pain they cause may be dull and constant or sharp when pressure is applied. “Soft” corns are caused by pressure from a bony prominence. They appear as whitish thickening and are commonly found between the toes. “Hard” corns are sharply delineated and conical and most often appear on the fifth toe.
Calluses have indefinite borders and may be quite large. They usually produce dull pain on pressure, rather than constant pain. Although calluses commonly appear over plantar warts, they’re distinguished from these warts by normal skin markings.
How are they Diagnosed?
Diagnosis depends on a careful physical exam of the affected area and on a history that reveals chronic trauma.
How are they Treated?
The doctor may perform surgical debridement to remove the nucleus of a corn, usually using a local anesthetic. In intermittent debridement, topical drugs called keratolytics are applied to affected areas. Keratolytics cause softening and dissolving or peeling of the horny layer of the skin. Injections of corticosteroid drugs beneath the corn may be needed to relieve pain.
The simplest, best treatment is essentially preventive - avoiding trauma. Corns and calluses disappear after the source of trauma has been removed. Toe pads may redistribute the weight-bearing areas of the foot; corn pads may prevent painful pressure.
People with persistent corns or calluses should see a podiatrist or dermatologist; those with corns or calluses caused by a bony malformation, as in arthritis, should consult an orthopedic specialist.
Tagged under:friction, keratin, keratolytics, proper foot care, Skin Disorders surgical debridement
