Corns and calluses
Overview
Corns and calluses are hard or thick areas of skin that can be painful. They're not often serious. There are things you can try to ease them yourself.
Symptoms
You mostly get corns and calluses on your feet, toes and hands.
Causes
Corns and calluses are caused by pressure or rubbing of the skin on the hands or feet. For example, from: wearing high heels, uncomfortable shoes or shoes that are the wrong sizenot wearing socks with shoeslifting heavy weightsplaying a musical instrument
Treatment
A GP can check if you have a corn or callus. They might: give you antibiotics if a corn or callus is infectedrefer you to a foot specialist if they think you need further treatment A foot specialist, such as a podiatrist, may be able to offer treatments such as: cutting away the corn or calluspatches to help soften the hard skin so it can be removedspecially made soft pads or insoles to take pressure off the painful area of your foot Referral to a podiatrist on the NHS may not be available to everyone and waiting times can be long. You can pay to see a podiatrist privately.