Corns on toes – Methods of Removal
Corns on toes can be a bind of a problem. Ill-fitting shoes, fashionable shoes such as high heels and all kinds of workers boots can cause these irritating skin growths. The skin once agitated spirals into a crazy productive overload. Skin cells build up at a remarkably fast rate until a noticeable bump is produced. They don’t usually hurt much, depending on how much care and attention they get. But left untended, they can grow to ugly proportions and become both painful and unsightly. A large corn can require medical removal by a chiropodist, who may surgically remove insidious corns.
You can’t just chop them off!
Home removal by the knife is not recommended at all. There is a fine line between the mass of dead skin that makes up a corn, and the live cells underneath, who are in a constant frantic replication mode. Once bit into with a blade, these cells become very unfriendly indeed. Infections are common from these instances of self surgery and can be avoided by using the tried-and-tested method of gently abrading the area, paying daily attention, never reaching the live skin underneath, and using a topical bactericide to ensure infection cannot set in. Sterilizing all equipment to be used in corn removal is also highly recommended. Once used, a Pedi-egg for instance, will gather up a whole bunch of dead skin cells. Bacteria will eat those and use the energy to multiply. So cleaning all implements directly after use is essential to avoid burying live bacteria back into your skin.
For those with smaller corns on toes or in areas that are tenderer, there are more gentle removal products available, along with a range of available skin softening lotions and creams. A bath, shower or simple bowl of hot water to put your feet in can help with making the skin softer and making dead skin, i.e. corns on toes, to become less strenuous to remove, making the end result less likely to be painful.
Be Choosy With Your Shoes
Corns on toes in particular are usually caused by poor footwear and sometimes bad posture too. Walking ungainly as many overweight people do can easily cause corns on toes and heels. Choosing good comfortable and sturdy footwear is nearly always the best start. Choose boots where heels don’t cause blisters, a precursor to many calluses, shoes that are the correct width and length. Also by avoiding impractical high heels and running shoes that don’t grip the foot correctly. Many people will find that they can wear alternative footwear, take care of the corns on their toes and in future be free of these annoying little bumps. Many corns are much more than just a “little bump”; they can cause significant pain in the feet & toes and maybe subsequently poor gait or a limp, loss of work, anxiety…this could be a long list!
We consequently suffer from lack of exercise, suffer pain, and the aggravation just adds to the many things we all already have to deal with in our busy schedules. Don’t make corns on toes your enemy, or your friend, you can choose to not have them at all. They can be controlled and you can rid yourself of them through proper foot care and proper foot wear!
