Corns and Callous and general Foot Care
Skin conditions are very common causes of foot pain that your Podiatrist will be able to treat. Skin conditions can range from simple thickening of the skin such as callus or corn formation.
Some Skin conditions present as infections of the foot such as fungal infections (tinea) or bacterial and viral infections.
It is important to find out what the problem is , to provide a treatment plan for you. There is no need to put up with discomfort or skin concerns that are a cosmetic concern.
If you need treatment or advice on these common conditions please make an appointment:
- Callus
- Corns
- Foot ulcers or Blister management
- Tinea
- Fungal Infections
- Warts or verrucae
- Thickened damaged toenails
- Ingrown Toenails
Calluses
Calluses are a skin condition that presents as lesions of hard skin that form over an area as a result of friction or high pressure. Callus is very common on feet and is the skins natural protective defence to increased or abnormal pressure and normally presents as hard, thickened, dry skin.
Calluses are often painless however in certain people it can become a problem as these areas of built up hard skin can cause pain and discomfort. In many cases regular Podiatry will be required to manage these skin conditions.
Treatment of Callous involves your Podiatrist reducing or debriding back the built up areas to reduce the pressure on the underlying healthy tissue. Your Podiatrist will also assess the contributing factors and advise any long term pressure relief approaches.
Corns
Corns are similar to callous in that they are a skin condition characterised as a lesion of hard skin that forms as a result of excess pressure however they form over a small area and have a central core of hard skin. Like callus, your body forms a corn as a protective mechanism to try and reduce further damage to the skin overlying that area.
There are 2 main types of corns, hard corns which generally form on the tops and bottoms of your feet, commonly over bony prominences, and soft corns which form in between your toes. Corns can cause many problems if not treated appropriately and can be very painful.
Podiatry treatment of corns involves your Podiatrist enucleating/removing the corns hard centre ( which is generally painless)and usually full and immediate relief is achieved at the time of treatment.
As pressure is the cause of a corn developing it is important to determine the contributing factors such as tight or ill fitting footwear, and may implement customised padding or toe dividers to redistribute pressure or orthoses to offer long term pressure relief.
Ulcers
A foot ulcer can develop in the skin with trauma and poor healing ability, We will see ulcers in Diabetic patients, and most Podiatrists would like to prevent with good general footcare and advice.
If you have diabetes, a foot deformity or poor circulation you have an increased chance of developing ulcers.