Seeing and feeling a hard callous on your foot can make anyone want to hide their feet. But a callous shouldn’t stop you from wearing sandals or showing off your feet in any situation. Many treatments – most available at FootSmart – can help you easily remove a callous and even prevent the development of a future callous. And you don’t even need to spend money on an expensive salon pedicure to help your feet become callous free.

The Development of a Callous

A callous is the body’s reaction to friction or pressure. Many gymnasts, weight lifters and other athletes will often find a callous on their hands, for example, because they are constantly holding onto something like a baseball bat or dumbbell.

A callous forms due to a process known as hyperkeratosis, the term that describes the actual hardening and thickening of the skin into a tough callous.

When it comes to your feet, you might develop a callous as a reaction to new or uncomfortable shoes, socks that chafe, or just from walking and using your feet on a daily basis. A callous is most often found on the heel, but a callous can also appear on the ball of the foot or over any bony prominence.

It’s important to be aware of why a callous is on your foot if you are serious about trying to remove the callous. Here are some specific conditions or cases that can also result in a callous.

• Prolonged standing can lead to a foot callous.
• Shoes with narrow toe boxes, especially women’s dress shoes, can result in a foot callous.
• Toe friction inside shoes or socks can lead to a foot callous.
• Pressure from high-heeled shoes may cause a foot callous.
• Obesity: If you are overweight, the extra pressure on your feet may result in a foot callous.
• People with flat feet may have a callous.
• People who have high arches may also see a callous appear on their feet.
• People with bunions can get a callous on their feet or toes as well and most likely need to wear shoes with a wide toe box.

Treating and Preventing a Foot Callous

The first step in treating a callous is to remove the pressure or friction causing it. The Podiatry Institute recommends that people who want to remove or prevent a foot callous should wear properly fitting shoes that provide good shock absorption for the sole. That said, it’s import to STOP wearing shoes responsible for the callous in the first place – shoes that inflict pressure or irritation on your feet.

You can also use insoles and inserts in your shoes to combat pressure points and rubbing that can eventually lead to a callous.

Now that you’re wearing the proper shoes to prevent callous development, you can try a variety of different options to get rid of your current callous:

• Use a callous remover product, such as a callous treatment cream, on a hard foot callous.
• Apply softening cream to the callous and entire foot if desired. To see faster results, apply the cream to the callous twice daily.
• Use a callous file or other pedicure file to soften and smooth the callous.

But remember, even if a callous is annoying or unsightly, never try to cut a callous with a razor or pair of scissors. You’re bound to do more harm than good and the callous will most likely not even go away. If you’re really having trouble getting rid of a foot callous, make an appointment with a podiatrist.

FootSmart, the foot care experts, has many products available to help treat a callous. Click here for all callous remover and callous treatment products.

Information on foot, leg and lower body health conditions like a callous provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on muscoskeletal health.