Alternatively, treat calluses as follows: Begin by soaking the foot or feet in warm soapy water and gently rubbing away any dead skin that loosens. Be careful using these products as they can cause chemical burns when misapplied or used in excess. Calluses have painful nerves and bursal sacs (fluid-filled balloons that act as shock absorbers) beneath them, causing symptoms ranging from sharp, shooting pain to dull, aching soreness.Ĭalluses can be treated with over-the-counter callus removers, which use strong acids to peel this excess skin away after repeated application. Calluses typically develop under a metatarsal head (the long bone that forms the ball of the foot). A great deal of friction or pressure over shorter periods of time can cause blisters or open sores. Small amounts of friction or pressure over long periods of time cause a corn or callus.
The skin thickens in response to this pressure. Although many consider them a skin problem, they are indicative of a problem with the bone.Ĭalluses form from repeated friction and pressure, as the shoe (or ground) rubs against a bony prominence (bone spur) on the toe or foot. A callus, also known as hyperkeratosis, is an area of hard, thickened skin that can occur across the ball of the foot, on the heel, or on the outer side of the big toe.