Overview
With 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons and muscles, your feet work hard every day to get you where you want to be. Most do their job remarkably well, but corns can be a painful reminder of just how important it is to keep feet healthy. Corns generally respond well to time and attention, and prevention might require just a few simple changes in footwear.
Description
Starting as small areas of thickened skin, hard corns most often appear on the tops or sides of toes. They typically have a hardened portion in the center surrounded by red or inflamed skin. Possibly painless or only mildly tender in the beginning, they can eventually cause significant pain when touched. The less-common soft corns look like small, open sores that occur between the toes. Sometimes mistaken for athlete’s foot, untreated soft corns can develop into ulcerated lesions.
Causes
Hard corns most commonly occur where ill-fitting shoes press against the tops of toes. Your toes flex and contract as you walk. When your shoes don’t allow enough room for movement, the bones in the toes squeeze the skin against the shoe material. This causes the skin to thicken and harden at the point where the friction occurs, resulting in a corn. Loose shoes also cause problems when your feet slip and rub inside shoes. Soft corns develop when toes squeeze too tightly together, sometimes due to tight toe boxes in shoes or irregularly shaped bones in toes.
Treatment
Home treatment includes soaking feet in warm soapy water to soften the skin before rubbing a washcloth or pumice stone gently over the area to remove the hardened layers. Doctors also recommend non-medicated, over-the-counter corn pads or lamb’s wool between the toes to cushion and protect the area from further injury. Medicated corn pads might irritate already sensitive skin. Physicians might elect to shave the corn down layer by layer with a scalpel, but do not attempt this at home due to risk of infection. Doctors might recommend surgical correction when misaligned toes or malformed bones cause recurring problems with corns.
Prevention
Wearing shoes that fit correctly with roomy toe boxes is likely the first, best step to preventing corns. Well-fitting socks that wick moisture away, like the cotton-polyester blends, help prevent soft corns from forming. Routine moisturizing also helps keep feet soft and prevents hard corns.
Caution
If you have diabetes or another condition that causes poor circulation or lack of sensation in your lower extremities, check your feet regularly and consult your physician if you notice any changes and before attempting any treatment for corns.
