Corns & Callouses Specialist

What are corns and calluses?

Corns and calluses are thick, hardened layers of skin that develop when your skin tries to protect itself against friction and pressure. They most often develop on the feet and toes or hands and fingers. Corns and calluses can be unsightly.

If you're healthy, you need treatment for corns and calluses only if they cause discomfort. For most people, simply eliminating the source of friction or pressure makes corns and calluses disappear.

If you have diabetes or another condition that causes poor blood flow to your feet, you're at greater risk of complications from corns and calluses. Before your corns or calluses get worse, you should schedule an appointment with Dr. Tabari at either his practice in Corona or in Flushing, Queens, New York.  Dr. Tabari specializes in finding just the right corn and callus relief to suit your needs so that you can walk out of the office in less pain.

What is the difference between corns and calluses?

Corns are painful, hardened parts of your skin covered by inflamed skin. Usually, you get corns on the parts of your feet that don’t bear weight. Corns tend to develop on:

• Tops of your feet
• Sides of your toes
• Between your toes

Calluses are thick, hardened parts of your skin that usually aren’t painful. Typically calluses form a protective barrier in weight-bearing areas of your feet, like on the balls or heels. Calluses can vary in size, although they’re almost always bigger than corns.

How are corns and calluses treated?

Treatment depends on where your corns and calluses are located and whether or not they’re bothering you.

Usually, Dr. Tabari needs to trim away any excess skin with a scalpel. Afterward, he applies a callus-removing medication — often in a patch — that contains salicylic acid. You need to wear this patch and replace it regularly until your corn or callus heals.

Because you need to minimize friction as much as possible, Dr. Tabari could suggest getting fitted for custom orthotics to aid in speeding up healing. While rare, if your corns or calluses aren’t getting any better, Dr. Tabari may perform surgery to correct any bone alignment issues that are causing frequent corns or calluses.  

Can I prevent corns or calluses?

Usually yes. After you have your corns or calluses treated by Dr. Tabari, you can do some things at home to minimize recurrence. Regularly exfoliating the hardened skin on your feet with a pumice stone after a shower or bath minimizes toughening of your skin and reduces your chances of having future problems. After you exfoliate your feet, apply a thick moisturizer designed for feet to keep your skin soft.

Start wearing cushioning shoes and socks and avoid wearing anything that puts pressure on your skin. You might need to wear pads over the affected areas for an extended period to further lower your chances of corns or calluses coming back.

Schedule an appointment at Signature Footcare either online or over the phone. Dr. Tabari and his team can help you get relief from corns and calluses.