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• Part 1 of 3: Treating corns and calluses at home
• Part 2 of 3: Get medical attention
• Part 3 of 3: Preventing new problems

A corn or callus is an area of ​​thick, hardened dead skin caused by friction or irritation. Corns form on the sides and top of the toes and can be quite painful. Calluses usually form on the soles of the feet or the sides of the feet. They can cause discomfort and look ugly, but usually don't hurt. Calluses can also develop on the hands. You can usually treat corns and calluses at home, but if they are painful, continue to suffer from them, or have an underlying medical condition such as diabetes, you may need medical treatment.

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Part 1 of 3: Treating corns and calluses at home

1. Distinguish between a corn and a callus. Corns and calluses are not the same and are therefore treated in different ways.
   • A corn can develop between the toes, has a core and can be quite painful. Corns also develop on top of the toes, usually just above one of the joints in the toe.
   • There are different types of corns, namely hard corns, soft corns and corns that form near a nail. A hard corn usually develops on the top of the toe and above the bones of a joint. A soft corn develops between the toes, usually between the fourth and fifth toes. The latter type of corn is less common and usually develops along the edge of a nail bed.
   • A corn does not always have a core, but it can usually be found in the center of the corn. The core consists of thick and dense skin tissue.
   • A corn's core points inward and often presses on a bone or nerve, making the corn quite painful.
   • A callus has no core and extends over a larger area of ​​the skin. The spot consists of thicker skin tissue that is equally thick everywhere. Calluses usually don't hurt, but they can be uncomfortable.
   • Calluses usually form on the soles of the feet and on the area just below the toes. You can also get calluses on your hands, usually on the palm and just below the fingers.
   • Corns and calluses are both caused by friction and pressure.
2. Use over-the-counter remedies. Over-the-counter remedies used to treat corns and calluses usually contain salicylic acid.
   • Using over-the-counter products to get rid of corns and calluses helps, but they are even more effective if you also take some general precautions to care for your skin.
   • Take steps to fix the problem yourself, but make sure you also address the cause, which is the one causing the friction or pressure.
3. Apply patches of salicylic acid to remove a corn. You can buy salicylic acid patches without a prescription to remove your corns. Some of these patches contain as much as 40% salicylic acid.
   • Soak the foot in warm water for about five minutes to soften the fabric. Dry the feet and toes thoroughly before applying the patches.
   • Be careful not to apply the patches to healthy skin tissue.
   • For most products, it is recommended to repeat the process every 48 to 72 hours for up to 14 days, or until the corn has been removed.
   • Salicylic acid is considered a keratolytic substance. This means that the substance moisturizes the treated area and at the same time softens and dissolves the skin tissue. Salicylic acid can damage healthy skin tissue.
   • Follow the directions on the product packaging or package insert. Do not use the product if you are allergic to products containing salicylic acid.
   • Avoid getting salicylic acid products in your eyes, nose, or mouth, or using them on other parts of your body without your doctor's instructions.
   • Immediately flush areas accidentally exposed to salicylic acid with water.
   • Store products containing salicylic acid safely so that children and pets cannot reach them.
4. Use salicylic acid to remove calluses. Products with salicylic acid are available in different shapes and strengths. You can buy foam, lotion, gel, and band-aids to treat the calluses on your foot.
   • Each product is applied in a different way. Follow the directions on the package or package insert to use salicylic acid products effectively to get rid of calluses.
5. Use topical products with 45% urea. In addition to salicylic acid remedies, there are other over-the-counter products that can help.
   • Products containing 45% urea can be used topically as keratolytic agents to soften and remove unwanted skin tissues such as corns and calluses.
   • Follow the directions on the packaging or in the package insert.
   • Often times, topical products containing 45% urea must be applied twice a day until the skin condition has healed.
   • Do not swallow topical products containing urea or get them in your eyes, nose, or mouth.
   • Keep the products away from children and pets.
   • If you have swallowed such a product, call 911, your doctor or seek medical attention as soon as possible.
6. Use a pumice stone. If you have calluses, using a pumice stone or a foot file can help remove the hardened areas on the skin.
   • Such aids can also be used for unwanted calluses that develop on the hands.
   • Using a tool like a pumice stone or a file will help remove layers of dead skin. Be careful not to file away healthy skin tissue. As a result, you can experience even more irritation and possibly get an infection if the healthy skin breaks.
   • File away layers of thick and hardened skin tissue before applying medication.
7. Soak your feet. Soaking your feet in warm water helps soften thickened areas of skin tissue. This applies to corns as well as calluses.
   • If you have unwanted calluses on your hands, soaking the areas can help soften the skin tissue just like you can on your feet.
   • Dry your feet or hands thoroughly after soaking. After your skin tissue has softened after soaking, get to work with your pumice stone or file.
   • If you don't have time to soak your feet or hands every day, you can also use the pumice stone or file just after taking a bath or shower.
8. Keep your skin hydrated. Apply moisturizers to your feet and hands to help keep the skin tissue soft.
   • This can make it easier to remove the hard, thick patches of skin with a pumice stone or file. It also helps prevent new corns and calluses.

Part 2 of 3: Get medical attention

1. Get medical attention to treat the condition. If you have diabetes, you are at a higher risk of developing serious foot problems. This is partly caused by changes in the circulation in your hands and feet.
   • Medical conditions such as diabetes, peripheral neuropathy and all other conditions that disrupt normal circulation will require medical treatment of corns and calluses. Talk to your doctor before treating your corns or calluses yourself at home.
2. If the areas are large and painful, ask your doctor for instructions. Corns and calluses are rarely a medical emergency, but sometimes the patches can be very large and very painful.
   • The safest and most effective way to treat the spots is to seek the help of your doctor.
   • Some corns and calluses will not go away with over-the-counter treatment. Ask your doctor about stronger prescription drugs or treatments that may be able to help.
   • Your doctor can help by performing some treatments in the office to help ease the condition.
   • Your doctor can use a scalpel or another available tool to cut away large areas of excess and hardened skin.
   • Do not try to cut or trim very thick areas of hardened skin yourself at home. This can cause more irritation, bleeding and possibly infections.
3. Watch for warts. In addition to corns and calluses, warts can sometimes be part of the problem.
   • Your doctor can help determine if you also have warts or other skin conditions and recommend the best treatment.
4. Watch for signs of infection. It is rare, but corns and calluses can become infected.
   • See your doctor as soon as possible if any part of your foot or hand is red, swollen, warm to the touch, or more sensitive than usual.
5. Think about foot conditions that cause the feet to become deformed. Some people have deformities in their feet that cause them to suffer from certain problems such as corns and calluses repeatedly.
   • Your doctor can refer you to a podiatrist for treatment. Some of the conditions that can contribute to your problems with corns and calluses include hammer toes, osteophytes, a lowered arch and hallux valgus.
   • Many of these conditions can be corrected by wearing insoles or specially made shoes.
   • In rare cases, it is necessary to undergo surgery.
6. Watch out for complications involving your hands. If you develop calluses due to friction or pressure on your hands, the skin can break and you can get an infection.
   • In some cases, blisters form next to or just below the calluses. When this happens, moisture remains in the blisters, which is naturally absorbed by the skin over time. If the blisters pop or drain, you can easily get an infection in the healthy skin tissue surrounding the blisters and calluses.
   • Contact your doctor if your hand looks red, is swollen, or feels warm.
   • You may need to start using topical or systemic antibiotics if you have an infection.

Part 3 of 3: Preventing new problems

1. Avoid friction. The most common cause of corns and calluses on the feet is something that causes irritation, pressure or friction in the same area.
   • Preventing friction can keep corns and calluses from forming.
2. Wear shoes that fit you well. Shoes that don't fit properly can rub your toes or cause your foot to slip in the shoe.
   • Make sure your feet have enough room to move in your shoes.
   • Corns form on the top and sides of your toes and you can get them from wearing shoes in which your toes don't have enough room.
   • One of the main causes of corns and calluses is repeated friction or irritation caused by improperly fitting shoes.
   • Narrow and high-heeled shoes that let your feet slide forward can cause corns and calluses.
   • Calluses form when the sole of the foot or the side of the foot slides along a part of the shoe that irritates the foot, or shifts in shoes that are too large.
3. Wear socks. Wearing shoes without socks can cause your shoes to rub against your feet and put pressure on them.
   • Always wear socks to avoid friction and pressure, especially in shoes intended for wearing socks, such as sports shoes, heavy work shoes, and boots.
   • Make sure your socks fit properly. Socks that are too tight can pinch your toes, causing unwanted pressure and friction. Socks that are too loose can sink down at your feet while wearing shoes and increase friction and pressure on certain areas of your foot.
4. Apply protective equipment. Use protective band-aids on top of corns, between your toes, or along areas of callus.
   • Using cushioning patches, lambswool pieces, or toe spreaders can help reduce friction and pressure on your toes or feet where you have corns and calluses.
5. Wear gloves. Calluses form on those parts of your hands where the friction is strongest.
   • In many cases it is good to have calluses on the hands, for example for people who play a musical instrument. Guitar players like it when calluses develop on their fingertips, because this allows them to play their instrument without causing pain.
   • This also applies to weightlifters. The calluses that form on their hands can help them grip and move the dumbbells used in weightlifting.