Sometimes tough skin can be a good thing. If you are an athlete or work out at the gym and use your hands to lift weights, this tough skin can prevent rips and tears.
If you walk a long time in a pair of shoes that do not fit right, sometimes the blister turns into a patch of tough skin and prevents the pain that you feel. Dr. Andrew H. Cohen knows that tough skin can sometimes turn problematic. Corns and calluses can become tender and painful over time or overnight. The span of time it takes to feel pain from corns and calluses varies depending on the person and the circumstance.
Corns and calluses are both from one cause: a whole bunch of dead skin. This dead skin build up is usually due to the buildup of pressure on a single area of the foot. This pressure leads to the creation of a corn or a callus on the foot. The more weight and stress an area is dealt the thicker the skin becomes and the larger the corn or callus will grow. At first the corn or callus is helpful. There is less pain in the area that is suffering from the pressure. After a while this tough skin turns tender and painful too and the cushion that was once there is gone and a lesion can form instead.
Corns are typically found on the toes and calluses are typically found at the bottom of the foot. This is helpful when doing an examination of your foot in your home. It will give you information and a signal to call a podiatrist.
Treatment
Podiatrists can cut down a corn or callus. After they are smaller and less obtrusive they can wrap the affected area up with a protective covering, such as gauze, and provide the patient with temporary relief. If the patient is looking for permanent relief then a different tactic is used. Dr. Cohen and the patient will work together to determine how the pressure is being caused and work to remedy it together. Once there is relief of pressure on the foot, the corns and calluses will stay away. Wearing the right shoes, using orthotics, and surgery are all ways a podiatrist can help alleviate pressure on the foot.
If your corns and calluses are bothering you look no further. Mid-Michigan Foot & Ankle Center located in Saginaw and Bay City, Michigan is the right podiatrist office for you. Call 989-790-8009 or make an appointment online today.