Why do calluses form on hands

If they do cause pain, you can ease the pain by: Wearing shoes that fit well and are roomy, with wide and deep toe boxes the area that surrounds the toes. A wider toe box keeps the toes from pressing against each other, relieving pressure on soft corns. A deeper toe box keeps the toes from pressing against the top of the shoe, relieving pressure on hard corns.

Using protective padding while your foot heals, such as: Moleskin. Toe separators. Toe crest pads. Toe caps and toe sleeves. Other things you can try include: Reducing the size of the callus or corn by soaking your callus or corn in warm water and then using a pumice stone to lightly wear away the dead skin.

Never cut the corn or callus yourself, especially if you have diabetes or other conditions that cause circulatory problems or numbness. Using salicylic acid to soften the callus or corn. You can then rub the callus or corn off with a pumice stone. Some doctors advise against using salicylic acid because it can damage surrounding skin.

If you use salicylic acid, be sure to apply it only to the callus or corn and not to the surrounding skin. And never use salicylic acid if you have diabetes or other conditions that cause circulatory problems or numbness.

Having your doctor pare trim the callus or corn with a small knife. Your doctor can do this in his or her office. How can calluses and corns be prevented? Wear shoes that fit well. Wear gloves while using a tool such as a garden spade or rake. If you expose other parts of your body to friction, wear appropriate padding. For example, if you are on your knees laying carpet, wear knee pads.

Credits Current as of: July 2, If a corn or callus becomes very painful or inflamed, see your doctor. If you have diabetes or poor blood flow, call your doctor before self-treating a corn or callus because even a minor injury to your foot can lead to an infected open sore ulcer. Pressure and friction from repetitive actions cause corns and calluses to develop and grow.

Some sources of this pressure and friction include:. When you have a bunion, the tip of your big toe shifts towards the smaller toes, crowding them. This also forces the joint at the base of your big toe to stick out. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. Unnatural tugging, pulling and rubbing of the skin can lead to heat-induced trauma caused by the friction of the motion.

The skin that is affected by this type of stress is unable to regenerate properly, causing more dead skin than is typical in the natural skin reformation pattern. While calluses are caused by friction, they also serve to protect the body from future trauma and salvage the new skin forming beneath the surface.

Calluses typically occur when skin is exposed to friction caused when it rubs or grinds against a surface. Weightlifting requires that you wrap your hands around a metal bar loaded with heavy weights. Keep a blister clean and dry and cover it with a bandage until it goes away. While it heals, try to avoid putting pressure on the area, picking it, or rubbing it.

Calluses go away faster by soaking them in warm, soapy water for 10 minutes, then gently rubbing them with a pumice stone. The stone has a rough surface that can rub off dead skin. Go easy when you do this. Rubbing too much can make the skin raw and sore. You also can wear shoe pads inside your shoes to relieve pressure so foot calluses can heal. You can buy pumice stones and foot pads in many grocery stores and drugstores.

Corns take a little bit longer to go away. To help, you can buy special doughnut-shaped pads that let the corn fit right into the hole in the middle to relieve pain and pressure. Ask a nurse, doctor, or a parent about trying pads that contain salicylic acid. This acid takes off the dead skin to help get rid of the corn, but people with some health conditions like diabetes should avoid using these.

If a corn sticks around for a while and keeps hurting, you may need to see a podiatrist the fancy name for a foot doctor.