CORNS & CALLUSES​

What are corns and calluses?

In general, thickened skins on top of the toes are called corns, and on the bottom of the foot are called "calluses. Soft corn can develop between toes (Heloma Mole) and is kept soft by the moisture in the area.

​

Corns and calluses are the result of friction or pressure on the skin and develop naturally to help protect the skin underneath them. Common causes of corns are arthritis or poorly fitting shoes.

​

They are more common among people who wear ill-fitting shoes, have sweaty feet, or stand for long periods each day, and they affect women more than men. 

​

Calluses and corns are not usually harmful, but sometimes they may lead to irritation, infections, or ulcerations of the skin, especially among people with diabetes or poor circulation in the feet.

​

Calluses

Calluses are yellowish or pale in colour. They feel lumpy to the touch, but because the affected skin is thick, it may be less sensitive to touch than the skin around it and are often bigger and wider than corns, with less-defined edges. They typically form over the bony area just under the toes, which is the area of skin that takes the person’s weight when they are walking.

 

Plantar Callus

A plantar callus is a particular type of callus that forms on the bottom of the heel. It happens when one of the foot bones is longer than the other and hits the ground more forcefully when a person walks. This causes the skin under this bone to thicken.

​​

Corns

A corn is a kind of callus made of dead skin. Corns on toes are very common because they are smooth. The corns are usually small and circular, with a clearly defined center that can be hard or soft.

​

Hard corns tend to be small. They occur in areas of firm, hard skin, where the skin has thickened or where there are calluses, and in bony areas of the foot. Soft corns tend to be whitish in colour, with a rubbery texture and may look like an open sore and cause a person pain. They more commonly occur between the toes, in areas of moist and sweaty skin.

​​

Seed Corn

A seed corn is a tiny, discrete callus that can be very tender if it's on a weight-bearing part of the foot.

Seed corn is a particularly small type of foot corn that can form on the foot due to excess pressure or friction. They typically form on the soles of the feet and are associated with dry skin. Seed corns usually appear as hard, circular, well-defined spots of skin, and they are smaller than other types of corns.​

​