Corns & Calluses

Corns & Calluses

Professional Corn and Callus Care

Corns and calluses are common areas of thickened skin that develop in response to repeated pressure or friction. While they are the body's natural way of protecting the skin, they can become painful, affect mobility, and increase the risk of skin breakdown if left untreated. 

What Are Corns and Calluses?

Although both are caused by pressure and friction, they are slightly different.

Corns

A corn is a small, concentrated area of thickened skin that develops when your body tries to protect itself from repeated pressure or friction. Unlike a callus, which spreads over a larger area, a corn forms a hard central core that presses inward into the underlying tissues. This concentrated pressure is what makes corns so painful, especially when walking or wearing shoes

Calluses

A callus is a broad area of thickened skin that develops as the body's natural response to repeated pressure or friction. Unlike a corn, which forms a concentrated central core, a callus spreads over a larger surface area to protect the underlying tissues. While calluses are a normal protective adaptation, excessive buildup can become painful, crack, reduce mobility, and increase the risk of skin breakdown, particularly in individuals living with diabetes or poor circulation.

Did you know?
A callus is actually your body's way of protecting itself. The goal of treatment isn't to remove every bit of thickened skin but to safely reduce excessive buildup that causes pain while preserving the skin's natural protective function. This balanced approach helps keep your feet comfortable without increasing the risk of injury.

What Causes Corns and Calluses?

Common causes include:

• Poorly fitting footwear

• High-pressure areas on the feet

• Bunions or hammertoes

• Changes in foot structure

• Walking or standing for long periods

• Barefoot walking

• Loss of natural cushioning with age

• Diabetes or reduced circulation

Identifying and addressing the underlying cause is important to help prevent recurrence.

When Should You Seek Treatment?

Professional assessment is recommended if you experience:

• Pain when walking or standing

• Thick, hard skin that continues to build up

• Cracked heels or painful calluses

• Corns between or on the toes

• Redness, swelling, or bleeding

• Difficulty caring for your own feet

• Diabetes, poor circulation, or reduced sensation

• It feels like there is a "rock in your sock"

People living with diabetes should never attempt to cut or remove corns or calluses themselves, as this can increase the risk of wounds, infection, and serious complications.

Why Do Corns and Calluses Keep Coming Back?

Corns and calluses develop because of repeated pressure or friction on the skin. While professional treatment safely removes the thickened skin and provides relief, it does not eliminate the underlying cause. If the pressure remains, your body will continue to produce thicker skin as a natural protective response.

Common reasons corns and calluses return include:

• Shoes that are too tight, too loose, or don't provide adequate support.

• Foot deformities such as bunions, hammertoes, or prominent bones.

• Changes in foot structure that occur with aging.

• Walking or standing for long periods.

• Abnormal walking patterns (gait).

• Loss of the natural fat padding on the soles of the feet.

• Thickened or fungal toenails that change how pressure is distributed.

• Diabetes or other medical conditions that affect foot mechanics or skin health.

Think of a corn like a well that's slowly being filled with dirt

Each step you take adds a little more "dirt" as layers of hard skin continue to build up. As the well becomes more tightly packed, the pressure is pushed downward toward the bottom.

A corn behaves in a similar way. Instead of spreading across the surface like a callus, the thickened skin forms a small, cone-shaped core that presses deeper into the tissues of your foot. With every step, that pressure can irritate the sensitive tissues and nerve endings beneath the skin, which is why corns can become surprisingly painful.

Professional foot care 

Professional foot care can relieve pain by reducing corns and calluses safely, but preventing them from returning often requires addressing the source of the pressure. This may include properly fitted footwear, padding or offloading techniques, moisturizing dry skin, consistent filing of calluses, and regular nursing foot care to keep thickened skin under control.