Corn vs. Callus: Do I Have One or the Other?

Corns and calluses are patches of thickened skin. They can occur anywhere on the body but are mostly found on the hands and feet. Corns and calluses are typically painless and feel like hardened areas of skin.

Severe calluses or corns may hurt, which can affect your ability to walk. They may also become infected or cause skin and tissue damage. Pain and swelling are signs of an infected corn or callus.

Differences Between Corns and Calluses

Corns and calluses are caused by friction and pressure. The thickened skin is a protective response from the body to prevent damage to the skin.

Appearance, Size, and Texture

Corns are thickened areas of skin about the size of a kernel of corn. They are round or oval. Due to a thickened, raised skin buildup, corns have a lighter color than the skin tone. They have a rubbery texture.

In the middle of the corn is a core, which looks like a small hole. The core is the thickest part of the corn.

Over time, a corn can become painful, tender, or sensitive to pressure. You may experience pain when walking, exercising, standing on your feet for too long, or performing repetitive hand tasks.

Foot calluses will present similarly to dry, flakey skin at the bottom of the feet. However, the thickness will be much more than what is seen with dry skin.

Calluses can be discolored because of the buildup of dead skin from fiction. If a callus causes pain, it may be because of cracks called fissures in the thicker skin areas.

Location

Corns develop where there is pressure over a bone, such as the tops or sides of the toes or the balls of the feet. On the hands, corns can develop on the fingers of people who work with their hands, such as mechanics and gardeners.

Calluses often appear on the foot pads and heels. On the hands, they can present in areas where the skin has become raised from repeated friction and rubbing, usually the fingertips and palms.

Formation

Both corns and calluses develop to protect your skin’s layers from pressure and friction.

Corns develop because of constant or repeated pressure on the skin over a bone. This pressure causes the cells on the outer skin layers (the epidermis) to divide and grow, leading to skin thickening.

The hands and feet are prime sites for corns because they are more frequently exposed to rubbing and pressure than other body areas.

On both the feet and hands, corns are caused by:

• Shoes that are too tight, too loose, or too high
• Walking barefoot often so the skin thickens to protect itself
• Using hand tools, gardening tools, sports equipment, or musical instruments
• Having a joint disease or a foot deformity in which the ball of the foot carries more weight

Older adults may experience corns more often. Foot problems are common in older adults because of age, weight, and health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis (progressive weakening of bones).

Calluses result from repetitive movements that produce skin friction. Over time, dead skin cells build up and harden over new ones to protect the skin underneath.

While calluses can occur all year round, they seem to be more common in the summer months. This might be because people wear open-toed shoes and flip-flops more frequently during these months, and friction may lead to skin buildup. High-heeled shoes and other shoes that put pressure on the feet can also cause the same roughness.

Simularities

Corns and calluses share many symptoms and qualities. They are both areas of thickened skin that develop from friction and pressure that can occur on both the hands and feet. They can both be caused by wearing shoes that do not fit comfortably.

Corns and calluses may cause pain, but most of the time, they do not. If they do become painful, this occurs over time as the skin thickens. The raised skin areas can become sensitive to pressure.

A corn or callus can become infected. If this happens, this could cause you pain and problems with walking. You will want to seek medical attention for a painful corn or callus, especially if you have diabetes or another health condition that could lead to infections or skin ulcers.

To prevent corns and calluses, work to reduce your exposure to sources of friction or pressure. This may include wearing supportive and well-fitting shoes or gloves when performing repetitive activities with your hands.

Causes of Calluses on Hands

On hands, you may get calluses from the following:

Writing

Writer’s callus, also called writer’s bump, will appear between your middle and ring fingers in the space where you would grip a pen or pencil. This condition is less common in this era of laptops, computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.

Working Out

Calluses can occur in people who lift weights, use exercise equipment, or cycle without gloves. These types of calluses are found on the palms between the fingers, where repeated pressure from gripping occurs.

Physical Labor

People who work in labor-intensive jobs may develop various spotty areas of thickened skin. This includes people who do woodwork, construction, plumbing, and electrical jobs.

Playing a Musical Instrument

Musicians, especially string, harp, and guitar players, often get calluses at the base of their fingers and other areas of the hands that are in frequent contact with their instruments.

Healing Time

The healing time for corn or callus will depend on the severity of symptoms and what caused it to develop. For some people, healing can be as simple as soaking their feet for a few days and reducing exposure to some causes. For others, healing may require proper diagnosis and treatment by a healthcare professional.

If you use your hands for work or other activities, consider wearing padded gloves or using padded hand tools. Wearing comfortable, well-fitting shoes may also help with healing.

Removal for Severe Symptoms

If you have a corn or callus that becomes painful or infected, consult a healthcare provider.

You should also see a healthcare provider for corns and calluses if:

• You have diabetes.
• You have conditions that increase your risk for infections, such as autoimmune diseases.
• Home treatments are not helping.
• You have an abnormal foot structure, which could lead to recurrences of corns and calluses.
• You have intense foot pain or pain with walking.
• You develop new symptoms or a sore.
• You have signs of infection, such as redness, pain, swelling, pus, etc., in the foot or hand or on or near the corn or callus.

Your healthcare provider will check your foot or hand to determine whether you have a corn, callus, or other foot or hand condition. If there is an infection or other problem, they will treat it.

If the corn or callus does not resolve with home treatments, your healthcare provider may recommend additional treatments.

Such treatments may include:

• Trimming away excess skin: A healthcare provider can use a scalpel to pare down the thickened skin or trim a large corn, but do not try this at home due to the risk of infection.
• Medicated patches: Your healthcare provider can recommend medicated matches containing salicylic acid, such as over-the-counter (OTC) MediPlast and Clear Away, or salicylic acid gel or liquid formulations, like Compound W, for larger areas.
• Cortisone shot: A cortisone injection can treat a painful corn or callus.
• Surgery: Surgery may be recommended for bone alignment problems that lead to excess friction and pressure.

How to Get Rid of a Corn or Callus at Home

It is possible to treat a corn or callus at home. Options for treating a corn or callus at home include:

• Changing shoes: Wearing shoes with more toe room can prevent rubbing against the tops of your shoes and promote healing.
• Donut-style adhesive pads: Moleskin pads and other padding products that protect the corn or callus from pain and pressure can be purchased at your local drugstore.
• Moisturize: If you have calluses on your feet, applying moisturizers can help loosen dry skin.
• Salicylic acid pads and gels: Use these only if recommended by your healthcare provider.
• Shoe inserts: While arch supports, cushioned insoles, and heel counters can help reduce friction, for other foot problems, a healthcare provider can recommend special inserts to prevent pain and recurring issues.
• Soaking: Soak the affected hand or foot in warm water to soften the skin before using a wet pumice stone or emery board to remove the dead skin, being careful not to remove too much skin, as this could lead to infection.

Summary

Corns and calluses are areas of hard, thickened skin. They can develop anywhere on the body but mainly form on the hands and feet. People develop these conditions because of ill-fitting shoes, repetitive tasks related to specific activities and occupations, and health conditions that affect the feet or are related to aging.

Corns and calluses are typically painless, but they can cause pain and become infected. Most can be treated at home with home remedies, including soaking the skin, using OTC salicylic acid–medicated pads and gels, and wearing comfortable-fitting shoes.

You should contact a healthcare provider if you have an infected or painful corn or callus or if you have medical conditions like diabetes that can lead to complications.