Now that you know the difference between a foot corn and a foot callus the next step is getting rid of a corn!
We touched on this briefly previously here but this one goes into further details.
How To Get Rid Of A Corn: The Options
- And top of the list by a country mile – see an expert PridePlus Health podiatrist for a simple enucleation. This is where the trained and careful podiatrist uses a sterile scalpel to gently circumscribe and enucleate (lift out) the corn from the epidermis. As long as the corn is only sitting in the epidermis there is no pain, no bleeding and no complications from this process.
- Dropping a long way down the list is a corn patch. These are non-selective acid patches that burn the corn, good skin and not so good skin. They create a soft, spongy lesion of macerated tissue which then peels away. You can often get some relief but the risks here abound. To much burn and you scar the healthy skin which leads to the corn coming back faster and faster the next times. Also, if there is a chance that your immune system or circulation is compromised a corn patch is an absolute NO.
Both of the above options are ways to get rid of a foot corn, but they will not stop the corn from returning. For that we need to address the causative factors touched on in the previous post.
How To Get Rid Of A Corn: The Dangers
As foot corns form as a result of pressure and friction to skin, and they form initially in the epidermis, getting rid of a corn early is incredibly straight forward for a podiatrist. The challenges and dangers lie when a corn has been there long enough to press down into the dermis, the deeper layer of skin that sits under the epidermis.
If this happens, a corn can become vascular (get a blood supply) or neurovascular (get a blood and nerve supply). Not only will this lead to increased pain from the corn, it will make getting rid of your foot corn even trickier.
When your corn has pressed down into the dermis, a scar will form at the barrier between the epidermis and the dermis. Scar tissue is not as supple or strong as regular tissue and in future there’s a greater risk of breakdown in the form of ulceration. Also, scar tissue isn’t as flexible as healthy skin so whatever pressure that lead to a corn forming in the first place will lead to a callus or corn forming faster the second time around.
If you’ve had a foot corn for a long time, can see any blood vessels (dark colours) or worried about scarring you should take your corn to a podiatrist ASAP to have an expert assess and get rid of it for you.
How To Manage A Painful Corn When You Can’t Get To A Podiatrist
This is non-specific advice and you need to consider your own health prior to doing this.
Now sometimes our busy lives or remote locations means that we cannot get to a podiatrist to have a painful footcorn enucleated (gotten rid of!). In these cases we can often manage the pain by slowly and carefully reducing the lesion at home.
Step 1:
- Soak your feet in a foot bath, use a soap free wash like QV, Alphakeri or Cetaphil to wash your feet and soften the skin
Step 2:
- Pat your feet dry with a clean towel
Step 3:
- Use a clean pumice stone to gently file the corn. You should never share a pumice stone with someone else or use a stone for too long, they can harbour all sorts of weird germs.
Step 4:
- The filing should only be gentle and never lead to a break in skin
After completing this apply a good quality moisturiser which has all the natural acids your skin needs, again brands like QV, Walkers and Alphakeri produce great options.
This can be repeated daily to manage a painful corn but it will not completely get rid of a corn or stop a corn from developing further.
Book online now to see a PridePlus Health Podiatrist in Melbourne, Pascoe Vale or Emerald to get rid of your corn… and stop if from coming back.
