Corn vs. Callus: Symptoms, Pictures, and Treatments
Key takeaways:
Corns are small areas of thickened skin that form over parts that get friction and pressure, like toe joints. They can be painful.
Calluses are larger areas of thick, rough skin that are not painful. They tend to form on the heels, balls of feet, and hands.
Switching to a more supportive shoe might help reduce calluses and corns. Urea, salicylic acid, or ammonium lactate creams can help soften them.
If you’ve noticed hard and thickened skin on your feet, you might wonder whether you have a corn or a callus. Telling a corn vs. callus apart can be easy even though getting rid of them can be challenging.
Corns and calluses may cause discomfort, especially if you have conditions that affect the shape of your feet. But there are ways to ease your corns and calluses and keep them from getting worse. Here’s how to tell whether you have a corn or a callus and how to treat them.
Symptoms of corns and calluses
Corns and calluses usually develop on the hands or feet. The most common symptoms of corns vs. calluses are skin changes like:
Hard skin
Thickened skin
Rough skin
Cracked or peeling skin
Waxy skin
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Corns may be painful and tender when you touch them. Calluses don’t usually cause discomfort. But the skin can crack and cause painful heel fissures.
Pictures of corns and calluses
It’s easy to tell corns and calluses apart based on their size and where they form.
Corns
Corns are small areas of thickened skin, about the size of a dime or smaller. They form over bony parts of feet that get exposed to a lot of pressure and friction, like:
The side of the fifth toe (small toe)
Over toe joints
Between the toes
Bony spots on the sole (bottom) of the foot
Corns can have a hard center (hard corn) or a soft center (soft corn). They may look like plantar warts. But corns are usually tender when you touch or put pressure on them. Plantar warts are not tender or painful.
Calluses
Calluses are larger areas of thickened skin. They usually form on the heels and the balls of the feet. Calluses can look white, yellow, or pale.
People who use certain types of equipment or play musical instruments can develop calluses on their hands:
Finger pads
Hands
Knees
Calluses aren’t painful. But they can crack and peel, causing fissures. Fissures can be painful.
Causes of corns and calluses
Corns and calluses are your body’s way of protecting your skin. Skin can start to break down when it’s exposed to repeated pressure and friction. This can lead to ulcers and skin breakdown.
Your skin creates more keratin over these areas of friction. Keratin is a protein that protects your skin. Extra keratin provides extra protection and cushion to areas exposed to friction and pressure. Keratin can help keep your skin from breaking down, but keratin buildup also causes the skin changes you see when you develop a corn or a callus.
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Anything that creates regular pressure and friction over your skin can lead to a callus or corn. Common things include the following.
Spending too much time on your feet
Walking, running, and standing all put pressure on your feet and toes. People who spend more time on their feet are more likely to develop calluses or corns.
Wearing ill-fitting shoes
Shoes that are too tight or loose can lead to corns and calluses. Tight shoes will put extra pressure on parts of your feet, triggering corns and calluses. Loose shoes force you to adjust your walking pattern to keep your shoes on your feet. This can lead to extra pressure over certain parts of the feet. High-heeled and narrow shoes also apply because they tend to rub against your toes.
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Not wearing shoes or socks
Wearing ill-fitting shoes can cause calluses. But going barefoot also increases the likelihood of forming calluses. That’s because your feet rub directly against rough surfaces when you’re barefoot. Wear socks or slippers when you’re not wearing shoes to lessen the chances of developing calluses. Socks offer a layer of protection and cushion. You should also wear socks with shoes whenever possible for extra protection.
Getting older
As people get older, the fat pads in their feet start to shrink. Fat pads are natural cushions for your feet. When they shrink, the body tries to make up for it by building calluses and corns.
Changes in foot or toe shape
Changes in your foot or toe shape can lead to increased pressure when you’re walking or wearing shoes. Bunions and tailor bunions will change the shape of your foot and rub against shoes. Hammertoes, mallet toes, or claw toes all cause a bent toe shape. The bent part of the toe will rub against socks and shoes. The friction over these areas can lead to corns and calluses.
Treatment and removal of corns and calluses
There are ways to safely treat corns and calluses at home. Home remedies for corns and calluses won’t completely get rid of thick skin. But treatments can make corns and calluses smaller and feet softer. Here are five treatment options for corns and calluses.
1. Pumices stones and files
Pumice stones and callus files can reduce the size of corns and calluses. You can use these tools once or twice a week. But remember not to be too aggressive. You don’t want to take off too much skin, which would lead to bleeding, infection, and/or injury.
Make sure to soak your corn or callus in warm water for 10 minutes first. Using a file or pumice on dry skin increases the risk of bleeding and injury.
If you have conditions that affect the circulation or sensation in your feet, like diabetes or peripheral artery disease, you shouldn’t try to pumice or file your corns and calluses at home.
Don’t use anything sharp to try and cut off a corn or callus. This can lead to serious injury and infection.
2. Moisturizers
Moisturizing cream helps soften corns and calluses. This makes it easier to file them down and also trims their appearance.
You want to look for a cream that contains:
Salicylic acid
Ammonium lactate
These ingredients will help gradually soften hard corns and calluses. Some foot creams contain more than one of these ingredients for extra softening effect.
Look for a thick cream that will stay in place. Apply the cream to your callus and corn. Then, cover your feet with socks to lock the moisture in place.
3. Cushions, corn pads, and orthotics
Foot cushions and pads decrease friction, rubbing, and pressure on your calluses and corns.
Donut-shaped adhesive pads are a great option for corns because they surround your toe joint and prevent it from rubbing against your shoe. Once you relieve the pressure and friction, your body will know it can take a break from forming calluses and corns.
Not everyone with corns and calluses needs custom shoes or orthotics. But if you have bunions or toe conditions, you may need custom shoes or orthotics to avoid extra pressure and friction that can occur from wearing regular shoes.
4. Nail care
An at-home or salon pedicure can also help with calluses. Overly long toenails can force the toes to push up against the sole of the shoe. This causes the toe joint to rub against the inside of the shoe and leads to corns. Keeping toenails trimmed lowers the risk of forming corns.
5. New shoes
Corns and calluses will keep coming back as long as there’s pressure and friction on your feet and toes. While you may not be able to change the shape of your feet, you can change your shoes.
Consider getting your feet measured to make sure your shoes fit and aren’t pinching or squeezing your feet. Give yourself a break from tight and high-heeled shoes whenever possible.
When should you seek medical care for a corn or callus?
You should get medical care if your corn or callus is:
Becoming painful
Getting bigger despite using home remedies
Showing signs of infection
Bleeding
People with certain medical conditions should see a podiatrist (foot doctor) before trying home remedies for corns and calluses. Some medical conditions can affect the blood flow and sensation in the feet. This puts people at higher risk for injury and infection if they try to treat calluses and corns on their own.
See a podiatrist for corn and callus treatment if you have:
Peripheral vascular disease
Peripheral neuropathy
Rheumatoid arthritis
A podiatrist can make sure your feet are healthy and help you safely care for your corns and calluses.
Frequently asked questions
Corns and calluses that aren’t treated may continue to grow if there’s ongoing pressure over the skin. Calluses can start to crack and fissure as they get bigger. This can be painful and increase the risk for infection.
A bunion forms in the bone while corns and callus form in the skin. You can develop skin changes like corns and calluses over a bunion. Bunions also increase the chances of developing calluses and corns on other parts of the foot because. Many people with bunions also have corns and calluses.
Podiatrists can use several treatments to remove corns. They may use a surgical blade to cut away thickened skin. They may also use medications to break down thickened skin. They may offer steroid injections to help relieve pain and inflammation from corns.
You can prevent corns and calluses by wearing properly fitting shoes with socks. It also helps to wear socks or slippers at home or any other time you don’t wear shoes.
The bottom line
Corns and calluses are areas of thickened skin. They form when there’s too much rubbing, friction, or pressure on the skin. Corns are smaller and can also be painful. Calluses are larger and usually form on the heels, balls of the foot, and hands. Wearing well-fitting shoes and socks can help prevent calluses and corns. You can treat corns and calluses at home with pumice stones, moisturizers, and foot cushions. People with medical conditions that affect the circulation or sensation in the feet should talk with a podiatrist to learn how to best care for corns and calluses.
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Images used with permission from VisualDx (www.visualdx.com).
References
Al Aboud, A. M., et al. (2023). Corns. StatPearls.
American Academy of Dermatology Association. (n.d.). How to treat corns and calluses.
American Podiatric Medical Association. (n.d.). Corns and calluses.
Freeman, D. B. (2002). Corns and calluses resulting from mechanical hyperkeratosis. American Family Physician.
National Health Service. (2022). Corns and calluses.
