Is It a Callus or a Corn? Here’s How to Tell

Corns and calluses are common foot problems. In fact, corns alone affect up to 48% of individuals. The terms also get used interchangeably, but they’re actually unique conditions.

In this blog post, learn more about these foot issues, your risk of developing them, and how the podiatry team at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center can provide relief.

Corns vs. calluses

To start, people often confuse corns and calluses because they share a similar cause — mainly, persistent friction or pressure on the feet, often from footwear that doesn’t fit properly. However, they differ from there.

Corns

Corns are often small, round bumps that form on the tops or sides of your toes. They can seem hard, soft, or something referred to as a “seed corn.”

In most cases, hard corns have a firm center surrounded by thickened skin. And, as the name implies, soft corns seem more pliable. It’s also possible for corns to form between your toes, and they may appear white or gray. 

Seed corns typically form on the bottoms of your feet, and they’re quite small. These types of corns can also be very sensitive and linked to clogged sweat ducts. 

Calluses

Unlike round, well-shaped corns, calluses are usually larger areas of uneven, thickened skin. They’re most common on the bottom of your feet or on bony areas, especially those that experience a lot of pressure from bearing your weight. For instance, the heel, big toe, or ball of your foot. 

While corns and calluses look different and form in distinct areas, they’re both your body’s ways of protecting the skin underneath them. 

Understanding your risks for corns and calluses

As mentioned above, a leading cause of corns and calluses involves wearing ill-fitting shoes.

Additional causes of these skin issues include:

• Not wearing socks with shoes
• Certain physical activities
• Going barefoot a lot
• Having gait or posture problems
• Standing or walking for extended periods

You’re also more likely to have corns and calluses if you have other foot problems, like a hammertoe, bunion, or arthritis. They’re also more common in smokers. 

It’s important to note that corns and calluses typically don’t put people at risk of serious health complications. However, it’s not the case if you have a medical condition affecting your feet, like diabetes, which requires vigilant wound care.

These disorders can cause any skin problem or injury — even corns and calluses — to go unnoticed. They can also become infected quite quickly and put you at risk of serious complications. 

Finding relief for corns and calluses

Fortunately, if you catch a corn or callus early on, you can often treat it at home by soaking your feet and gently removing the dead skin with a pumice stone. For best results, keep your skin well moisturized.

For large or painful corns and calluses — or if you have diabetes — it’s time to see an expert, like a member of our team at Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center. 

After assessing your feet, your podiatrist can suggest a variety of strategies to ease your symptoms. For instance, wearing different shoes and using moleskin pads, which prevent the friction behind the corns and calluses. 

On top of these changes, your podiatrist could gently remove some of the thickened skin using a special blade. If this is the case, there’s no cause for concern — it’s completely painless because they’re only removing dead skin. 

When corns or calluses cause significant foot pain, your podiatrist could recommend a cortisone injection for relief. And, in the rare cases where these conditions don’t respond to conservative treatment, surgery could provide relief. 

At the end of the day, corns or calluses shouldn’t slow you down. If you have discomfort or pain, get treatment right away at the Rocky Mountain Foot & Ankle Center location nearest you — we’re in Wheat Ridge, Thornton, Evergreen, and Granby, Colorado — by scheduling an appointment today.