Your feet take all your body weight, and get tortured with tight shoes. If you have corns or calluses on your feet, you’re doubly plagued with pain and discomfort. The rough, dry spots where your shoes are tightest may develop thick calluses that can crack and can cripple you over time. Bony prominences can rub and cause corns to form as a protective barrier, but you’ll have a tough time getting rid of them.
Going to get a pedicure isn’t always the best solution. A nail specialist isn’t trained to tackle the thick, cracked skin on your heels or the corns on your toes. Don’t try to be a surgeon with sharp blades either, because it can lead to infections which can worsen your condition and keep you off your feet for weeks.
Over-the-counter medicated pads with salicylic-acid are a good solution, but keep the liquid or disk directly on the corn. Podiatrists agree that the skin is too easily burned if you accidentally spill the acid on the tissue. Follow the directions carefully and take your time. If you don’t see a marked improvement within two weeks, it’s time to see your doctor for advice.
Soak your feet in Epsom salts and warm water to see if the pain from your corn is coming from a bursa (an inflamed sac of fluid between the bone and your corn). The Epsom salts can reduce the size of the sac and reduce nerve pain. You’ll need to re-evaluate your shoes and find a pair that doesn’t press on the same areas where your corns and calluses are located.
One of the best remedies for calluses is a warm soak in chamomile tea. This will soften the callus for an abrasive scrub with a pumice stone. When you finish, be generous with an over-the-counter foot cream. Doing this daily will bring the calluses down quickly and give you relief. This treatment is not recommended for corns because it could worsen your condition.
If your heel calluses are cracked, bag them in plastic after applying Whitfield’s Ointment and hydro-cortisone cream before sleeping. In the morning, use a stiff brush to rub off as much callus as you can.
If all else fails, talk to your doctor. Additionally, be sure to seek immediate medical help at any signs of infection in these uncomfortable and unsightly appendage ailments.