I am pretty sure that many of you have had a hard ridge of skin on your toes especially your little toe. This hardness if skin can be a corn. Foot corns grow on our toes in response to our body's demand for protection against the pressure and friction that is being applied on that area. This is a normal body condition and it is not very serious unless it becomes an ulcer.



There are different medical names that foot corns are known by. They are hyperkeratosis, clavus, heloma and tyloma. A foot corn will grow where there is pressure applied onto the skin. The friction of a foreign object against that tender area will cause the body to develop a layer of hard skin in that place. As time passes and the pressure and friction has not been removed the hard skin has formed into a cone shape with a hard center.

After a certain amount of time the corn will be treated by your body as a foreign object and the body will begin to reject the corn. There are two types of foot corns, these are hard corns which grow on your toes and soft corns which grow between your toes. Soft foot corns are given the title soft due to the fact that the moisture that is between the toes contributes toward the softness of the corn.

There are a few ways that foot corns can develop on your feet. They are wearing shoes that are too tight and constricting, biomechanical or gait abnormalities, and hammer toes or other foot deformities. Hammer toes can cause the growth of foot corns because there is an area where increased pressure is applied to the toe, this will cause the foot corns. Biomechanical or gait abnormalities can cause corns to form due to the pressure that is being applied when an individual with those problems walks.

The best way to treat foot corns is to remove the pressure that is being applied to them and let your foot slowly begin to heal itself. Once the foot corn is completely gone the most sensible way to prevent foot corns from reforming on your toes is to wear correct shoes that do not rub against your skin and ones that aren't too tight.

As many of us have had problems with foot corns it is best to deal with the problem as soon as possible. While there are a number of medications and topical lotions that you can try, the best way to see about completely removing any stubborn foot corns is to let your podiatrist see what can be done safely and properly. By consulting a podiatrist you will be able to eliminate the problems of foot corns once and for all.