Corns and Calluses
Corns and Calluses
A Tender Touch for Tough Feet
Rub your feet the wrong way with the wrong shoes long enough, and they'll respond by growing corns or calluses--extra layers of hard, dry skin that help protect pressure points on the foot. Some women, for example, develop cone-shaped corns between their toes, where bones rub together. Others, especially women with high arches, develop a sheet of calluses that may cover a part, or the whole ball, of the foot. And calluses or corns are common where shoes rub against bony prominences.
If a corn or callus grows thick enough to press on nerves, it can hurt. "A large corn can be as irritating as a pebble in your shoe," says Kathleen Stone, D.P.M., a podiatrist in private practice in Glendale, Arizona.
LESS PAIN IN MINUTES
Here's what women doctors advise to help stop the pain.
Soak, then rub. Soften corns or calluses by soaking your feet in plain lukewarm water for five or ten minutes. Then use a pumice stone or a synthetic abrasive pad, available at drugstores, to rub off dead skin a little at a time. "I recommend the new synthetic spongelike pumice pads, which contain abrasive material and can be wetted with water and liquid soap and used in the bath or shower," says Dr. Stone.
When To See A Doctor
If your corn or callus pain persists despite self-care, see a podiatrist. She can trim the corn or callus and perhaps prescribe orthotics (shoe inserts) that take the pressure off that area of your foot. If you have diabetes, or if you have diminished sensation or decreased circulation in your feet, it's wise to see a podiatrist for any foot problem.
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Note: If you have diabetes, decreased sensitivity or decreased circulation, check with a podiatrist before you attempt this, says Cheryl Weiner, D.P.M., a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio, and president of the American Association for Women Podiatrists.
Oil 'em up. After soaking and rubbing, use a moisturizing cream to help keep your feet soft, says Dr. Stone. "I like vitamin E cream or vitamin E oil (not vegetable oil), which penetrates the skin very nicely."
Cushion the worst offenders. To lessen pain from soft corns between your toes, work a tuft of lamb's wool between your toes, suggests Dr. Stone. Lamb's wool is available at drugstores.
Pad 'em. Traditionally, adhesive-backed felt, called moleskin, was used as a doughnut-type pad around corns and calluses to take pressure off them. The women whom Dr. Stone treats seem to prefer a new synthetic material, Cushlin, available at most drugstores in Dr. Scholl's products. The material is thin, soft, resilient and rubbery. It doesn't flatten out and holds up well. Cut sheets of the material to pad around, not over, your corn or callus.
Buy shoes that fit. Narrow shoes can contribute to corns and calluses; shoes with room for the toes are less likely to do so. To size up prospective shoes, says Nancy Elftman, a certified orthotist/pedorthist (a professional shoe fitter) in La Verne, California, trace your foot on a sheet of paper and take the paper with you when you go shopping for shoes. Then place the shoes you like on top of the tracing. If any of your foot tracing shows, the shoe is too short or narrow for your foot.
Lace up to save your toes. If you have corns on top of your toes, Elftman suggests lacing your sports shoes so that one lace goes from one bottom eyelet to the top eyelet on the opposite side. The other lace is alternated through the lace holes. Then, by pulling on the single lace, you can lift the toe box and give your toes more room. (This also helps if you have a long second toe.)
