Calluses and Corns
Calluses and Corns are similar in that they are made of hard callused (hyperkeratotic) skin. Some of these lesions have a hard central core. They can be mild and asymptomatic, or they can hurt just as much as a pebble does in your shoe. Many of our mobile podiatry footcare patients benefit from getting their calluses shaved down periodically. In time, some even resolve or grow back reduced.
The lesions can form under the soles of the feet, on the heels, between the toes, and on top of the toes where shoes rub.
Insurances time callus care the same way as they do toenail cutting. To have insurance coverage of the paring (or shaving) of calluses, the timing needs to be spaced apart by 60 or more days. Thus we typically set up care at a minimum of 9 weeks, unless there are signs of wound formation under them (dry blood in the callus, infection, redness). Calluses can cause pressure wounds on the skin beneath them and heel calluses can crack, leaving the feet susceptible to wounds and infections. Because of this, it is important to treat them.
Are Calluses the same as Warts?
No. Warts are caused by a viral infection and can spread. Regular calluses are not contagious. Also, a simple way to identify warts vs calluses is to look for skin lines. If you zoom into the picture here, you can see skin lines within the lesions. That means the lesions are calluses, not warts. Warts do not have skin lines and they also often have little dark spots in them.
Pressure Wounds
Foot Wounds / Ulcerations:
A foot ulceration is an open sore on the foot or heel and they can vary from a superficial clean lesion to a deep infected lesion that can have an abscess. Sometimes wounds form underneath calluses. Treatments for these vary, many of them need daily (or every other day) cleansing and dressings applied.
Wounds are often created by pressure (example: a bedsore). Removing the source of pressure is an important part of getting them to heal. Many factors can influence wound healing: circulation, nutrition, blood sugar levels, neurological status, wound flora - all of these are contributing factors.
Here are links to the videos Dr Brown made about off-loading heel lesions:
and off-loading blanket toe tip pressure lesions.
