Do you have any thickened, dry, or hardened areas of skin on your feet? Have you ever wondered what they were and how to eliminate them? Let’s take a closer look.
Thickened areas of skin could be a variety of things: calluses, warts, or cysts, to name a few. Today we are going to take a closer look at calluses. A callus develops when there is too much friction or pressure on the skin, but how do you get rid of it? What’s the treatment? There are several things you can try at home first before deciding that it’s time to make an appointment at our office. First, soak the callus in warm water until the skin softens. Next, you can use a clean pumice stone or nail file to gently file the callus in a circular motion. Do not take off enough skin to break through and cause bleeding. Use coconut oil or a moisturizing cream to soften the hard areas of skin. The ingredients to look for in a lotion are ammonium lactate, salicylic acid, or urea. Lastly, it’s important to protect the skin as you are softening it. Apply a padding, most of which you can find at your local drugstore, to cover the callus while it heals. There are also medicated patches that can continue softening the area as well.
Prevention is key. It’s important to always wear a properly fitting shoe. If a shoe fits tightly in the morning, it is not the proper fit. Your feet are the largest at the end of the day, therefore, spacious shoes in the morning are best. Make sure there are no spots that are rubbing uncomfortably throughout the day. Contact our office and we would be happy to make custom orthotics for you! Custom orthotics are the best way to ensure that your shoes fit perfectly for your individual and unique feet. The last thing you can do is trim your toenails regularly. When your toenails are too long, they can push against the shoe and cause excess pressure. This leads to calluses forming over time.
When do I need to see a podiatrist? When your calluses are causing pain or you aren’t able to get rid of them, it’s time to call our office. If you have diabetes and have calluses, it’s always important to see a specialist. Do you have other concerns? Are wounds or sores developing under the callus? Give our office a call today. We are happy to help!
At Howard County Foot and Ankle, we treat everything from warts and ingrown toenails to flatfeet and heel pain. Many people come to us for diabetic foot care or simply because they have foot pain or ankle pain and don’t know the cause of it. We handle emergencies such as fractures and infections as well. Dr. Bui performs a wide variety of surgeries and specializes in reconstructive surgery of the foot and ankle. You won’t find a better foot doctor than our highly skilled and highly qualified, Dr. Christina Bui! We would love to be your go-to Podiatrist!
