The development of corn on your feet or toe can be a painful experience that will prompt you to seek an immediate solution. Most likely, that’s what brought you here. Corns are thickened skin areas resulting from constant friction and pressure on the foot and toes. They form to protect soft tissues underneath the feet from injury during contact.
What are Corns on Feet?
Corns are similar to callus but are smaller, more complicated, and more painful than a callus. They are commonly caused by wearing tight-fitted footwear, which exerts pressure and friction on your feet. Serious complications are uncommon; however, you shouldn’t leave a corn infection untreated.
There are several ways to treat foot corns; fortunately, the most effective way to eliminate corn from your foot is to eradicate the causative factor exerting pressure on your feet and toes. If pain is unbearable, you may wish to consult a podiatrist for proper medical care.
This article will take you on a journey of discovery and help you understand how to prevent and remove foot corns.
What causes Foot Corn and Toe corns?
Feet corn is caused by applying friction and pressure repetitively on the feet. Everyday activities that can trigger the development of feet corn include:
Skipping Socks
Wearing footwear for a prolonged duration without socks can create friction which results in the development of corn.
Wearing ill-fitting Shoes
Wearing tight footwear can compress certain areas of your feet, while freely losing footwear may cause your feet to repeatedly slide against the shoe, thereby creating friction that can cause the development of foot corns.
Symptoms of Foot Corn and Toe corns
Frequently noticeable symptoms of feet corn are:
- Rough and thick inflamed skin
- A painful hardened bump under your foot
- Dry or waxy foot skin
- Redness and blistering
If you experience any of the symptoms of foot corn and have an underlying medical condition such as diabetes, consult your doctor for medical advice to avoid complications.
Risk Factors of Foot Corn
Different factors increase the likelihood of developing foot corn, some of which include:
- Hammertoe(A deformity in which your toe curls like a claw)
- Bunions (bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of your big toe)
- Smoking
- Health conditions such as bone arthritis and diabetes
How to Diagnose a Corns?
Diagnosis of foot corn isn’t a complex procedure. Your doctor can adequately diagnose the condition by physical examination and direct observation of skin tissues around the affected area.
Typically corn and callus are pretty similar with few distinct differences. The only significant difference between a corn and a callus is that foot corn is painful and sensitive to touch due to inflammation of the skin around the affected area; in contrast, a callus doesn’t cause any pain.
Your doctor may order an x-ray to rule out the possibility of a bone complication such as bone arthritis, bone spur, or bunion.
How to treat Corns?
Treatment of corn depends on the causative factor and symptoms experienced. For mild cases, a podiatrist may recommend the following steps:
Soaking your Feet
Soaking your feet in warm water or a mixture of boric acid and iodine for approximately 20 minutes may help soften and reduce the corn over time.
Padded Toes
If you develop foot corn frequently, you can reduce friction by putting paddings such as a piece of moleskin between your legs to prevent them from rubbing each other. Numerous people use cotton balls and consider them practical as well. Padding helps relieve pressure and protect the affected area from irritation.
File with a pumice stone or emery board
While the affected area of the skin is still soft, use a pumice stone to scrape dead skin tissues gently. Take precautions as removing excess skin tissue can lead to bleeding and infection.
Apply a moisturizing cream or lotion
Applying moisturizing cream or lotion containing salicylic acid or urea emoves corn. Moisturizers will keep your feet soft and prevent the development of a corn.
Wear shoes that properly fit
Wearing properly shaped shoes is crucial to eliminating foot corn. When shopping for a shoe, you can ask the clerk to measure your foot to get an accurate shoe size. It’s best to shop for shoes when you may have swollen feet at the end of the day.
While foot corn is not a severe medical condition, extreme cases may require special medical care, such as
Acknowledging the most appropriate way to treat corn can be difficult; however, all treatment options are equally effective in removing corn. If the pain doesn’t subside after repetitive treatment, you should see a doctor.
Having healthy feet is achievable, but you have to eliminate all factors that can cause foot corn.