Nothing beats seeing a podiatrist for your corn or callus treatment but not everyone has a podiatrist handy at home. Sometimes you need to go to your home remedies for corn and callus removal to get you through. These are what I recommend in our Melbourne CBD podiatry clinic.
Picture this:
It’s a Saturday morning in Melbourne.
You’ve peacefully woken up without your regular 6am alarm, rolled over and heard the birds chirping. It’s the weekend, and nothing could ruin your vibe.
After an obligatory scroll through Instagram and a quick squizz at the news stories that have rolled in overnight, you yourself roll over and lift up out of bed – it’s time to start your day.
You swing your legs out of your bed, have a quick stretch and push up onto your feet.
OUCH
“Jeez, I’ve been needing to get this stupid bit of hard skin under my foot fixed for weeks”, you mutter to yourself.
Time to head online and book in that Monday morning appointment with your local PridePlus Health podiatrist.
Monday rolls around and you’ve just finished off getting a MediPedi with your trusty podiatrist, pain free and ready to skip out of your appointment.
You’ve noticed these corns tend to resurface every 6 – 8 weeks and would love some tips on some home remedies to complement your bimonthly podiatry appointments and boy does your podiatrist have some hot tips for you!
Hold up just a second. Let’s start with the basics!
What is a corn and what is callus?
The two are very similar, but not quite the same.
‘Same same, but different’, some may say!
Both refer to a hardened area of skin caused by increased pressure.
What is causing my corn or callus?
A personalised answer to this question requires a thorough assessment by your trusty podiatrist, but broadly speaking, the increased pressure that causes a corn or callus can come from footwear, particular activities, different walking styles and gait patterns or varying foot types!
So what can I do outside of my podiatry appointment to delay the regrowth of my corn or callus?
These home remedies for corn and callus removal, treatment, and prevention are some of the most important things you can do for your feet to stop them from getting sore.
Footwear
Shoes with little cushioning and stability can increase the plantar pressures in your feet.
Perhaps it’s time to swap the flip-flop Havaianas for some cushioned ‘Bared’ or ‘Frankie4’ sandals that have adequate cushioning, fastening and torsional support.
Cushioning is not only heavenly to stand on, but usually means the shoe is made of materials that are less susceptible to the friction forces that may cause increased plantar pressure in shoes made of harder materials.
Having a strap with a buckle or laces to fasten a shoe in place reduces the likelihood of shearing motions that may also heighten plantar pressures, and prevent the foot from having to squish up to keep the shoe in place!
Does your shoe pass the bend and twist test? If a shoe is super bendy or twisty, it means your foot will likely bend and twist with it, which could result in corns or callus.
Have a good look through your closet to ensure your footwear has adequate cushioning, some sort of fastening mechanism and isn’t too bendy or twisty!
Skin care as home remedies for corn and callus removal
At the end of the day, corns and callus are a build up of hard skin.
It only makes sense that if we keep the skin nice and soft, it is unlikely to accumulate as quickly.
In podiatry, we recommend the regular use of a moisturiser with high levels of urea, an emollient that soothes the skin leaving it nice and supple!
Also, having strong & supple skin helps keep nasty fungal nail and tinea (athlete’s foot) infections at bay.
Another handy tool is the good old pumice stone.
We all remember seeing these ones on Grandma’s vanity!
Disclaimer – please be nice and gentle when using these bad boys, and make sure the area is thoroughly cleaned before and after use.
The rough nature of these stones can be helpful in scraping away thin layers of the callus build up. While not as effective as your podiatrist’s scalpel blade, they can be a useful interim treatment for a tentative fix!
Again, please be incredibly careful using anything abrasive on your skin, particularly if you have circulation challenges or diabetes.
Why does the podiatrist do a better job?
Well, I thought you’d never ask!
In the clinic we have a variety of instruments in our arsenal to sufficiently remove every last bit of that niggly corn or callus!
As professionals we can be that bit more thorough than any home remedies for corn and callus removal.
For starters, we have two different sized scalpel blades.
A 15-blade is smaller and slightly more agile, for those smaller deeper corns that require intricate enucleation (removal).
A 10-blade has a larger surface area and is fantastic to quickly and efficiently remove a large build up of callus, while leaving a smooth finish.
We also have an electric mandril which we attach to a Moore’s disc (a small disc with a sand-papery-like finish) that spins around at high speeds to smooth the top and remove that last layer of hard skin.
The moisturisers we use contain plenty of urea and other natural acids.
Also the footwear advice we have to give is second-to-none.
So how should I structure my corn or callus treatment?
Great question!
Unfortunately the answer is person-specific.
For some, popping into the podiatrist every 6 months and self-managing your corns or callus throughout the rest of the year is a super viable option.
However, for athletes needing to train, retail workers on their feet all day or our elderly clientele who may struggle with self-management, we suggest coming to see us every 6-8 weeks while ensuring you’re paying close attention to the main pointers we’ve mentioned above!
As always, if you wake up this Saturday morning and ‘Homer-Simpson-DOH!’ yourself for forgetting to book that podiatry appointment – we’re always here to help!
Head over here to book online to finally get that corn looked after!
