Callus On The Foot Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Callus on the foot

A callus on the foot can appear in any person, regardless of age, gender or social status. It occurs due to the fact that excessive pressure or friction is exerted on a certain area of the foot. Outwardly, such a callus looks like a sole compaction with a thickening in the center.

Although dry calluses of the feet, in fact, are an accumulation of keratinized cells, they can cause a certain inconvenience to a person. Often these calluses hurt and disrupt normal gait. In addition, they are a cosmetic defect that must be dealt with.

In addition to dry calluses, watery calluses may appear on the feet. They look like blisters filled with intercellular fluid. Wet calluses are very painful, can become inflamed and fester. Therefore, their treatment must be timely.

Content:

• Causes of the appearance of calluses on the foot
• Callus symptoms on the foot
• Treatment of calluses on the foot
• Prevention of the appearance of calluses on the foot

Causes of the appearance of calluses on the foot

Calluses on the foot do not appear in an instant. Their occurrence is preceded by excessive friction on the foot, or excessive pressure on it. They can be concentrated on any part of the foot: on the sole, on the heel, on the toes, on the metatarsus.

Distinguish between internal and external risk factors that can provoke the appearance of corns.

External causes of the formation of calluses on the skin of the feet:

• Wearing uncomfortable shoes. If a pair does not fit in size, it is too tight, or, on the contrary, too loose, then this will lead to excessive friction of the skin of the feet.
• Wearing shoes made of hard materials on your bare feet.
• Failure to comply with hygiene rules increases the risk of foot calluses. If the feet sweat a lot, are warm and at the same time the person rarely washes them, then this leads to increased sliding and the formation of calluses. In addition, in such conditions, the likelihood of infection increases.
• The use of hosiery that is not suitable for a person in size. When the socks are too big, they will clump and clump. A callus will appear in the area of the fold formation.
• People of certain professions suffer from calluses of the feet. Most often this applies to professional dancers, ballerinas, gymnasts, runners, etc.
• If a person walks barefoot for a long time on a rough or uneven surface, for example, on gravel or stones, then corns will appear on his foot.

Internal reasons that can provoke the appearance of corns include:

• Anatomical defects of the foot - flat feet.
• Poor posture accompanied by curvature of the spine.
• Aging of the body. With age, the skin loses its former elasticity, becomes dry, which increases the likelihood of calluses.
• Diabetes mellitus, in which serious disorders occur in the body concerning the vascular system. Deterioration in the nutrition of the foot makes it prone to various injuries, including calluses.
• Deterioration of the blood supply to the legs against the background of varicose veins or thrombosis.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Deterioration of the sensitivity of the peripheral nerves.
• Hyperhidrosis of the feet, accompanied by increased sweating.
• Overweight, which leads to excessive stress on the foot.
• The presence of a bone spur.
• Lack of vitamins and minerals in the body, or an excess of them.

Basically, the formation of a callus is the body's defense response to excessive friction. Thus, it protects soft tissues from damage.

Callus symptoms on the foot

The symptoms of corns directly depend on their type. However, almost all of them sooner or later lead to the fact that a person will experience discomfort while walking. Often this discomfort is accompanied by painful sensations.

Depending on the type of corn, the following symptoms are distinguished:

• Callus. It is impossible not to notice the callus, as it hurts very much. Such a formation is represented by a bubble that is filled with transparent contents. This fluid is plasma containing lymphocytes. It is needed in order to fight against pathogenic flora and protect the skin from further damage.

  If you lightly press on such a corn, then the person experiences pain. Sometimes the edges of the callus are itchy. If further friction is applied to the blister, it may burst. The liquid flows out of it completely, or partially. If the skin of the bladder comes off, then you can see a weeping red wound.
• Dry, hard corn. Such a callus is a limited area of skin. It is hard to the touch, yellowish or gray in color. The surface of the skin can be smooth or cracked. Sometimes the callus hurts when you press on it. Such calluses are also called corns. They most often appear on the sole of the foot or on the heel.

• Core corn. Core corn has all the features of a hard corn, but its distinguishing feature is the presence of a core. It is concentrated in the center of the skin growth and consists of horny cells.

  The core callus is yellow and always painful when pressed on its center. The pain is due to the fact that the root of the callus reaches the nerve endings located between the soft tissues and bones of the foot. Often it is core calluses that lead to gait disturbances and force a person to seek professional help.

• Corn, complicated by an infectious process. The infection is most often complicated by watery corns, which have ruptured spontaneously. Although sometimes the infection is localized in the bladder with intact integrity. In addition, pathogenic flora can penetrate soft tissue through cracks in dry calluses. Then ulcerations appear under its surface. The infected corn begins to fester. The skin around it turns red and may feel hot to the touch. The pain begins to haunt a person not only during pressure on the corn, but also at rest.

  In addition to purulent masses, blood can leak from the corn. If the infection has penetrated into the bladder, then the liquid in it becomes cloudy and loses its transparency. Such calluses must be urgently opened.

  Lack of treatment can lead to the spread of the infection through the blood, to a general increase in body temperature with the development of fever.

  Infected corn in people with advanced diabetes mellitus can trigger a symptom called diabetic foot. This threatens limb amputation.

Treatment of calluses on the foot

Treatment of calluses on the foot should be timely. Thus, it will be possible to get rid of not only a cosmetic defect, but also to avoid serious complications.

Therapeutic measures depend on what kind of corn is formed in a person.

If the corn is watery on the foot

Most people manage to cope with water blisters on their own, at home. When the size of the corn is small, it won't hurt much. Such calluses rarely burst on their own and, in the absence of external influence, pass through a short period of time. To minimize the likelihood of damage to the integrity of the corn, you need to cover it with adhesive tape.

If the corn is large, then it hurts a lot, swells and can spontaneously open up. Therefore, it is better to carefully pierce such a corn.

A puncture is performed using a sterile needle, which is previously calcined on a fire, or treated with alcohol. It is important to disinfect the surface of the corn itself. To do this, wipe it with iodine, brilliant green or another agent with an antiseptic effect.

The needle is inserted parallel to the skin, choosing one of the lateral surfaces of the corn. Do not pierce it from above, as this increases the likelihood of injury to the bottom of the callus.

When the callus is punctured, it is gently pressed with a gauze pad. This will remove any accumulated fluid from the corn. Then an antiseptic agent, such as Synthomycin ointment, is applied to the surface of the former bladder. From above, the corn is covered with a gauze swab, which is fixed with an adhesive plaster. You need to change the gauze several times a day. If liquid begins to accumulate in the corn again, then it is carefully pierced again. During the night's rest, the corn is opened, allowing it to dry out.

Care must be taken to ensure that the crust does not come off the young water callus. If this happens, the likelihood of an infection increases. In this case, the processing of the corn should be even more thorough.

With developing inflammation, you should not postpone the visit to the doctor. The surgeon will perform a high-quality cleaning of the infected surface and ensure proper drainage of the corn.

If the corn is dry on the foot

Dry calluses of the feet can be treated at home. When they are small, you can get rid of them with regular cosmetics and pumice. To do this, the feet are well steamed, after which the affected areas of the dermis are treated with a pumice stone or a rough scrub. The final step in the treatment is to apply moisturizing creams with a sufficient urea content to the skin of the feet.

The procedure for treating dry calluses should be carried out regularly, especially when a person's skin is prone to hyperkeratosis. If the reason for the formation of calluses comes down to internal factors, then you need to see a doctor.

Particular attention should be paid to your feet for people with diabetes. In patients with a progressive form of the disease, even small defects of the foot can cause its amputation. Such patients should monitor their blood glucose levels and follow medical recommendations for lowering them.

When dry calluses are large and old, their preliminary softening is required, otherwise it will not be possible to cope with the growths.

Keratolytic effect is possessed by such funds as:

• Salicylic acid based ointments and solutions. They treat the surface of the corn and leave it on the skin for a while. After such exposure, the keratinized layers of corn can be easily cleaned off with a pumice stone. However, you need to tune in to the fact that the procedure will have to be carried out several times.
• Lactic acid products. They work similarly to salicylic acid preparations. Sometimes you can find ointments and creams of combined action.
• Use of anti-ash patches. Such patches are impregnated with keratolytic and antibacterial substances. They are glued to the corn for a day. The stratum corneum softens, after which it is removed. You can cope with the problem in 2-4 procedures. The plasters Salipod, Leiko, Urgo, Doctor House, etc. have a good effect.
• You can apply alkaline products to the corn, such as Supercleaner or Antipapillum. They eat away at the stratum corneum, dissolving the cells of the callus. However, such drugs are very aggressive, so they need to be applied pointwise and carefully so as not to get on healthy areas of the dermis.

Another relatively innovative way to combat dry, hard corn is from freezing. On the market you can find preparations containing ether and propane, for example, Cryopharma or Wartner Cryo. They are applied to the corn with an applicator, after which its cells freeze and die off.

When using aggressive products to remove dry calluses, you need to carefully study the instructions and consult a doctor.

If a corn with a rod on the foot

Dry calluses with a core are subject to professional treatment. The fact is that at home it will not be possible to remove a deep-lying root. If it stays inside, it will cause the callus to re-form.

The specialists have the following methods for removing core calluses:

• Hardware manicure. In this case, the doctor cuts off the skin surrounding the corn with the help of cutters, and the rod itself drills. The resulting wound is treated with antibacterial agents. After 2-3 days, the skin will fully recover.
• It is possible to remove stubble corns with a laser. It is treated with a beam, layer-by-layer burning out the altered tissues. After the procedure, a crust forms on the skin, which disappears after a few days.
• Cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen is a professional method for removing corns. Her cells are frozen and destroyed. A blister remains at the site of exposure, which bursts after 1-2 days. When it dries up and leaves, you can see young skin under it.
• You can remove corn using radio waves. With the help of a special loop, it is cut off. This method is bloodless, painless and does not involve the risk of scar formation.
• Another way to remove corns is to cauterize it with an electrocoagulator, which is a source of high-frequency currents. After removal of the corn, a crust forms in its place, which will disappear after a few days.

In rare cases, they resort to surgical excision of the callus. However, this method is practiced infrequently, since it is painful, associated with the risk of infection and the likelihood of bleeding.

To determine the method of corn removal that is suitable for a particular patient, you need to consult a doctor.

Prevention of the appearance of calluses on the foot

To prevent a callus from forming on the foot, it is enough to follow simple recommendations:

• You need to choose comfortable and suitable shoes.
• It is important to regularly practice hygiene for your feet.
• It is necessary to monitor your own weight and prevent it from increasing.
• If the skin is prone to hyperkeratosis, then it needs to be treated with moisturizers.
• Damp skin is prone to increased friction, so you need to keep your feet dry.

It is easier to prevent the appearance of calluses on the foot than to treat them. If they have already begun to form, it is necessary to properly care for the damaged area of the skin of the legs.

Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist

Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".