Below are what in my opinion are the five best treatments for Corns and Callouses. The ideal treatment would be to combine as many of these treatments as possible in order to treat a corn or callous effectively. First a warning. Not found on this list will be acids, as they are unnecessary and an unneeded risk to the treatment of a callous as well as using a scalpel blade yourself. If you want your callous debrided with a scalpel blade see a Podiatrist. As always, we urge you to consult your local podiatrist if these treatments for your corns or callous are unsuccessful.
5. Surgery- Surgery for corns and callouses should only be performed after all conservative treatments have been exhausted. This surgery for some corns and callouses does not have a success rate depending on the callous. Sometimes all that is needed is just an excision of a callous or corn. Other times, to rid yourself of a corn or callous, you will need an osteotomy of the bone that is causing the corn and callous. There are multiple procedures for surgical removal of corns and callouses, make sure to consult a qualified Podiatric Surgeon.
4. Orthotics– I know what you are thinking- orthotics? How would they get rid of corns and callouses. The answer is simple. A lot of corns and callouses are created by biomechanical imbalances that cause the corns and callouses to begin with. Additionally, the orthotic can be used to place pads on to help off load the high pressure areas where the callouses maybe forming. The best orthotic for this would be a custom orthotic. The Podiatrist takes a mold of your foot and creates an orthotic specially formulated for your individual foot. These can be expensive, sometimes costing about 400 dollars. Sometimes insurance covers these. Another option is Over the Counter Orthotics which run about 20 dollars. Here are some examples of some over the counter orthotics that may work.
3. Creams, Lotions– Callouses form by the accumulation of dry skin. What is the best way to treat dry skin? A cream or lotion. The best time to apply the lotion is after you use the pumice stone to debride the callous(#1), after you shower or bathe and right before you go to bed. Here are some example of creams that will help with corns and callouses:
2. Pads. Pads can essentially take care of the callous permanently. Obviously, as soon as you stop using the pad the callous can come back. But pads are light weight and rarely cause issues for the patient. Get the pad for the location of your callous. Ideally you want a removable pad as opposed to a pad that sticks. As a removable pad can be worn repeatedly, the sticky pad must be constantly replaced. Here are some pad examples for certain areas of the foot
Ball of the foot:
1. Debridement with a pumice stone. The easiest way to treat a callous is after every shower or bath rub a pumice stone over the effected area. This will slow formation of the callous, as well as make your feet feel better. They are inexpensive and easy to find here are a couple examples: