What is a corn?
Foot corns are hardened layers of skin. These layers develop because of the pressure and friction on certain areas of the foot. They usually appear on areas of pressure like the heel, underneath the ball of your foot, and in between your toes. They can be quite painful to walk on and prevent you from wearing your shoes.
What causes corns?
Corns develop as a protective response from your skin to external pressure and friction. This can come from a mechanical defect in your gait, walking barefoot, tight shoes, exercises, etc. They usually get worse with time because as the corn gets bigger, the pressure around it also increases. In consequence, the corn also gets bigger. This vicious cycle makes your corn more and more painful with time.
How to treat corns?
There are ways to safely and painlessly remove your corn and prevent it from growing back again.
1. Removing your corn
Your podiatrist has all the tools to safely and painlessly shave your corn all the way down to its root. This can easily relieve you from the pain caused by your corn.
2. Redistributing your pressure
Because your corn is due to an accumulation of pressure and friction, your podiatrist can solve the mechanical defect in your foot that keeps on creating your corn. This can be done by prescribing proper shoes or a custom-made plantar orthotic.
3. Medication
Your podiatrist can prescribe medication or apply a chemical treatment to treat your corn. This will be done safely accordingly to your skin and health condition.
How to treat corns at home?
There are ways to treat your corn at home while waiting for your podiatric consultation. The key to treating your corn at home is to reduce the pressure and friction as much as possible.
Hydrate your skin
Apply daily a moisturizing cream to your corn. By keeping the area hydrated, it will have a tendency to thicken up less.
Use a pumice stone
You can remove the superficial layers of your corn by using a pumice stone. Doing this at least once a week keeps your corn small and less prone to discomfort.
Use pharmaceutical products with caution
Many products in the pharmacy exist to treat corns. These products can be dangerous when used improperly, or harm your skin if you are not using the correct product for your condition. It’s recommended to stop all pharmaceutical treatments if you’re not seeing results.
Wear appropriate shoes
Wear shoes that have the least friction on your corn. Depending on where your corn is located, it can be shoes with an opening for the toes or a large toe box. You can also benefit from a shoe with more arch support, which, by redistributing your foot’s pressure, relieves your corn from the excessive friction.