How Can I Remove Corns?

Corns, the condition with the unusual name, are really one of the ways the body protects us from more serious damage. According to most medical information, corns develop on the toes and on the feet when we wear shoes that don’t fit properly, or when our toes and feet are slightly malformed. Rubbing can cause these hardened areas to develop.

The first step in preventing and removing corns should be taken in new, more comfortable shoes. Really, doctors often advise patients with corns to buy a slightly wider shoe that doesn’t rub on the foot so much. In this case, appearance and fashion have to take a back seat to health and comfort. In some cases, doctors advise patients to add padding to their shoes, as long as it doesn’t add pressure. The idea is to reduce rubbing and friction that causes corns in the first place.

There are some corn-removal products available at retail. These may be topical solutions or pads. In both cases, the active ingredient for corn removal is salicylic acid. This substance gradually reduces the corn over a period of days. This is often preferable to surgical removal, which we will discuss a bit later.

Some people have had success removing corns by using natural/herbal treatments. According to several sources, lemon, papaya and even licorice may gradually reduce the size of the corns. Apparently these natural substances dissolve the hardened tissue that makes up the corns.

Since corns occur on the feet, primarily because a bone presses against the shoe or another part of the foot, it may be necessary to take more extreme measures to get rid of corns. After you have tried wider, more-comfortable shoes, natural removal substances such as papaya or lemon, and then invested in some over-the-counter corn-removal products you may still have hard surfaces that become quite thick.

If you get to this point, it may be time to talk with your doctor about physically removing the corns. Make sure that what you think are corns aren’t actually warts, which are caused by bacteria. Warts are “live” growths that must be treated differently. Even though corns are hard and calloused, you should notice that, unlike warts, the “fingerprint” of the skin surface remains when a corn develops.

Shoes that are narrow at the toes will tend to create corns, as will high-heeled shoes, which push the foot down and push the toes together. Check with your doctor or a podiatrist (foot specialist) to see if the size and shape of your feet make special shoes and padding necessary.

You can also reduce the size of corns with a pumice stone or a foot “file” that is available over-the-counter. To repeat: Be sure you are dealing with the hardened surface of a corn rather than a wart or some other structure. You could damage your foot and create pain by using these treatments on the wrong condition. You may consider corns a minor annoyance but that doesn’t mean they should be taken lightly.