Calluses and corns

Calluses and corns cause pain. Both of these common foot conditions result from pressure and friction. This often comes from wearing badly fitting shoes that put pressure on parts of the feet. Sometimes they result from a poor gait, where people walk badly and put pressure on feet in specific places.

Corns and calluses are different from each other, although usually talked about in the same sentence.

Corns are small areas of thick skin, which will be sensitive to pressure and painful to walk on. They are caused by pressure, a result of wearing shoes that fit badly and push repeatedly in a particular place, foot shape ordeformity. Corns can be a symptom of other underlying problems, including poor gait or other muscular-skeletal issues. It's easy to treat corns and Heath will be able to identify the true cause. A regular visit to Heath will keep corns under control, removing them before they become painful. Over-the-counter corn treatments might cause damage to the surrounding skin so it is better to see a podiatrist rather than to self-treat.

A callus is a larger area of thickened skin, which is often yellow as it does not have a proper supply of blood. Calluses aren't usually sensitive to touch, in fact, the area is often less sensitive than the surrounding skin. A very common place for a callus is on the ball of the foot, as a result foot shape and poor footwear. People are often embarrassed by callused skin, and hide their feet as a result.

Treatment for both these conditions involves painless removing the hard skin with special files or a scalpel.