How to get rid of calluses on feet? Treatment of calluses with traditional and folk remedies
Calluses are not a health problem, or even a cosmetic problem, but how much pain they cause! A callus can appear anywhere - on the heel, on the foot, on the toes - in those places where there is constant pressure on the skin or friction occurs. The upper stratum corneum of the skin gradually thickens and over time a painful compaction forms - a dry callus.
Water callus (or dropsy) usually appears in places where the skin is thin - on the fingers, on the heels. In hot summer weather, when your feet sweat, the chance of developing a callus increases dramatically. First, the skin turns red, then swells slightly, the cells of the middle layer are damaged, and a blister filled with liquid is formed - a water callus. Touching a callus causes a burning pain, or it can be practically painless, depending on how damaged the skin is.
Water callus. Most often they try to pierce it right away. Under no circumstances should you do this! An infection can get inside, under the thin skin, and then the consequences will be the most unpleasant. At best, the callus will take a long time to heal, otherwise it may fester.
Put aside the shoes in which you rubbed your feet for a few days. Wear something comfortable and soft. Do not smear the callus with any creams or ointments; the best helpers are iodine, alcohol or a saturated solution of potassium permanganate. Treat the callus with one of these preparations - this will dry out the callus and after a while it will dry out and fall off. If the callus has burst, then the wet surface of the skin should be treated with the same means (you can use brilliant green).
Dry callus. Superficial dry calluses are first softened by making a warm foot bath with the addition of baking soda or soap, and then carefully removed using pumice. Instead of a bath, you can make an application of grated raw potatoes and onions. Vegetables are crushed into a paste, which generously covers the callus. A piece of cellophane is placed on top and sealed with a bandage or a bandage.
Crushed garlic and lard soften calluses very effectively. First steam your feet in warm water, wipe dry and apply a mixture of garlic and lard. Secure with film and bandage. Leave it overnight. Such applications should be done every night until the callus completely disappears.
Vegetable oil works great for calluses. After the foot bath, the feet are wiped dry and lubricated with vegetable oil. If you do this procedure regularly, then after 3-4 days the calluses will soften and gradually begin to disappear.
Another popular recipe: before going to bed, steam your feet and tie a lemon peel and pulp to the callus. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times, leaving the lemon overnight. When the callus becomes soft, steam your feet and gently scrape it off.
Warm foot baths with medicinal plants are very useful, which are recommended to be done daily, morning and evening. After the evening bath, apply a crumb of bread soaked in vinegar to the callus and keep it there until the morning.
You can also fight old calluses, which cause a lot of inconvenience, with folk remedies, but this is a long process and not always successful. It is better to go to a clinic or beauty salon, especially since other problems may be hidden under the guise of an old callus - plantar warts or fungus. These diseases are viral in nature, so they easily spread across the skin and cannot be avoided without appropriate treatment.
A dry callus can be a core callus - have a core that goes deep into the skin. To treat such calluses, cryotherapy is used, after which the callus is dried with liquid nitrogen. If the rod is short, then after several procedures of a regular pedicure or dry hardware pedicure, the callus either disappears on its own or is completely cleaned off.
The main cause of watery calluses is excessive sweating of the feet. Therefore, for the summer, choose shoes in which your feet can “breathe” freely. It is better if the shoes are soft, comfortable and have a spacious toe so as not to squeeze your toes.
Dry calluses and corns are the result of our inattention to the skin of our feet. If you regularly take softening foot baths and clean off the rough layers of skin with a pumice stone, then you won’t even remember about calluses.
Calluses are changes in the skin of the palms and soles that occur as a result of friction and pressure. Depending on the strength and duration of the mechanical action, either a bubble filled with liquid is formed - a wet callus, or dense horny deposits - dry calluses and corns. The skin of the palms and soles is constantly in contact with aggressive factors, so nature provides features of its structure that provide increased resistance to damage. Its thickness is 10 times greater than in other parts of the body, and reaches 5 mm. Therefore, with strong exposure, corns and calluses are formed, and not abrasions and wounds.
Calluses are so common that they are considered simply a cosmetic defect. However, with deep cracks in the skin, signs of inflammation and severe pain, medical attention is required.
Calluses are caused by:
Calluses often occur due to one or more conditions:
The following types of calluses are distinguished:
They have a common formation mechanism, but manifest themselves in different ways.
Wet calluses on the feet are usually rubbed by new, unworn shoes. With intense exposure to the skin, the epidermis separates, and the resulting cavity is filled with interstitial fluid - lymph. A bubble up to two centimeters in diameter appears - a wet callus.
If the internal vessels are damaged during friction and compression, the contents of the bladder become red - a callus.
The person first feels discomfort, then burning and pain. If you do not change your shoes in time, the bladder opens, the fluid flows out and a wound forms.
With regular exposure to lower intensity, the division of the epidermis and the process of keratinization are activated. The outer layers of cells do not have time to peel off, and dense deposits form. A dry callus is a rounded, keratinized area on the skin of a yellowish color with clear boundaries, painless when pressed. Its size depends on the location. Plantar calluses and corns reach 5-6 cm in diameter.
This is a type of dry callus that occurs due to uneven keratinization of epidermal cells. As a result, a rod is formed in the center of the formation, growing deep into the skin. It puts pressure on nerve endings and blood vessels. The callus can be very painful when walking. Its outer size does not exceed a centimeter. Frequent localizations are the soles of the feet and fingers.
Vascular - a type of core callus. Blood vessels grow into the rod.
Fibrous - connective tissue fibers are embedded in the keratinized epidermis. The callus has a dense consistency and looks like a honeycomb.
If wet calluses appear, measures must be taken as soon as possible. How can I help myself?
In most cases, corns and dry calluses can be treated at home. Treatment includes three stages:
Compresses are applied to the problem area after the bath. They additionally soften the skin, have an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect and help get rid of corns and calluses. Compresses are applied for 2–3 hours.
If calluses and corns on the feet cannot be cured with baths and compresses, pharmaceutical products in the form of ointments, solutions, and patches will help. Medicines for the treatment of calluses contain keratolytic substances that soften horny deposits, extracts of medicinal plants and essential oils.
For the best effect, products are applied to the foot after steaming, and since they contain aggressive components, there is no need to use pumice stones first.
The drugs should not be used on damaged skin.
It is necessary to follow the instructions for the procedure time. Then treat the callus with pumice.
There are situations when specialist help is needed:
Concomitant diabetes mellitus - with this pathology there is a high risk of complications; with a painful callus, it is better not to self-medicate and not to postpone a visit to a specialist.
The most difficult thing to get rid of is the callus. After removing its outer part, a dense rod or core is revealed.
How to treat callus? The main methods are:
To reduce the risk of callus formation you should:
Every person experiences calluses from time to time. This is a protective reaction of the skin to external influences. There is an opinion that if they do not hurt, treatment is not necessary, but this is wrong. It is not difficult to cope with them in the initial stages. If measures are not taken in time, calluses tend to progress and can cause complications.
Every person has to deal with the appearance of calluses from time to time. This problem especially often occurs when breaking in new shoes. Some rush to seek help from a beauty salon. Others are more interested in how to quickly cure a callus at home.
Remedies for wet and dry calluses
Calluses consist of keratinized areas of skin that form as a result of strong friction or pressure. The main reasons for their occurrence on the soles are wearing tight shoes, excessive sweating of the feet or flat feet. The skin on the palms becomes rough when working with tools without protective gloves. Calluses are divided into wet, dry and corns. Each of these species requires special control methods.
Wet calluses are painful blisters filled with intercellular fluid. Popping small blisters is usually not recommended. The fact is that a humid environment is an excellent place for bacteria to grow. If the callus vesicle is opened, an inflammatory process may develop in the resulting wound.
All that remains to be done is to wait for the callus to dry. Until then, switching to more comfortable shoes and applying an orthopedic patch will help reduce pain.
You can speed up drying by lubricating the compacted area with iodine, a solution of potassium permanganate or zinc ointment.
However, if the bubble is large enough and located in such a way that it is injured in any case, then puncture is indispensable. To do this, feet are first washed with soap. Then the callus is wiped with alcohol or a solution of boric acid and carefully pierced with a sterile needle. The tip is inserted at the edge of the blister, parallel to the surface of the foot. The liquid is carefully squeezed out by placing a sterile gauze pad on the callus. Next, the area is lubricated with antibacterial ointment (for example, syntomycin), covered with a napkin or a piece of bandage and sealed with a bandage. If the blister accidentally bursts on its own, it should be treated in the same way.
Dried calluses peel off on their own over time. But it can also be cleaned with a pumice stone or a rough brush. For this purpose, the feet are first steamed in a soap and soda bath. It is prepared by dissolving 2 tablespoons of soda and a tablespoon of shaved soap in 3 liters of warm water. The procedure is carried out for 20-30 minutes.
Calluses on the hands are treated with similar methods.
How to quickly cure a callus: down with corns
Corns, unlike ordinary calluses, do not go through the “wet” stage and from the very beginning are a growth of thick, rough skin. They are formed exclusively on the soles when wearing uncomfortable shoes. Often, a rod forms in the middle of the corns, with its roots going deep into the skin. These calluses are usually very painful.
The process of removing corns with a brush or razor does not give the desired effect. Very quickly a new seal appears in the same place. Therefore, it is better to use special keratolytic agents for treatment. They gradually exfoliate dead cells and stimulate the formation of new tissues.
The basis of such drugs is salicylic or lactic acid. To soften the skin, glycerin and vegetable oils can be added to the composition. Existing dosage forms are represented by ointments (5% salicylic ointment, Nemozol, Foot Relax, Stop Corn) and patches (Salipod, Compeed).
It is important that the keratolytic does not come into contact with healthy skin. Therefore, the corns Corns: causes and treatment are first isolated - a regular plaster is glued onto it, in which a hole of the required size is made. After this, ointment is applied to the callus for a day or a medicinal patch is glued to it. The procedure is repeated for 3-6 days until the keratinized skin peels off.
Ingrown calluses may require hardware treatment. The deep shaft is drilled out with a pedicure drill or removed with a laser.
Traditional medicine offers its own methods on how to cure a callus on the foot:
For wet calluses:
It happens that women mistake a heel spur for a corn. This is a rough, painful growth that forms in the area of the heel bone.
It is useless to fight a spur with the usual methods (ointments, baths), since it is not a hardened area of skin, but calcium salts deposited on the bones. Shock wave therapy helps to radically solve the problem. The essence of the method is to literally hit the accumulation of minerals with air. The procedure stimulates blood circulation and causes the spur to soften, which begins to dissolve. The course of treatment involves several sessions.
Calluses often form on the feet due to tight shoes
Calluses and corns are caused by prolonged friction or pressure on the skin. Tough layers of skin begin to form as a means of protection against friction. Calluses on the hands can result from using hand tools without gloves. Uncomfortable and unsuitable shoes can cause calluses on your feet, and calluses can occur in shoes that are too tight or in shoes that are too loose. High-heeled shoes and wearing shoes without socks can also cause calluses on the feet. Therefore, the best way to prevent the formation of calluses on your feet is to wear well-fitting, comfortable shoes. And get rid of calluses and corns on your feet in various ways.
Soak your feet to soften the dead skin of calluses and corns. Fill a bowl with hot water and add 3 tablespoons of a mixture of equal parts Epsom salts and baking soda to 4 liters of water or 3 chamomile tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes. If you wish, you can add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant aroma. Then soak your feet in the solution for 15-20 minutes to soften the calluses before removing them.
Remove rough skin using pumice. After soaking, begin to slowly rub the surface of the calluses and corns in a circular motion with a pumice stone or a special foot grater. Press firmly, but not too hard as this can damage healthy skin and cause infection. Stop scrubbing away dead skin when you feel you have reached healthy skin.
Papaya, lemon and potato are useful in treating calluses. Cut a slice from any of these fruits and secure it to the callus using a bandage or adhesive plaster and leave it overnight. You can also moisten a cotton wool in the juice of these fruits and fix it on the affected area until it dries.
Bananas are also a simple and effective remedy for calluses. Place the inside of a ripe banana peel on the callus before going to bed and secure it.
Castor oil can be applied three times a day using your finger to the callus or used at night. To do this, you need to moisten a piece of cotton wool in castor oil, squeeze it out and place it on the callus. Then secure it with adhesive tape over the callus and put on socks for extra protection for your bedding. Repeat the procedure for 3-5 days.
The milky juice of figs is especially good for removing stubborn calluses that have formed over a long period of time. Place a cotton ball soaked in fig juice on your leg and leave it on for at least three hours or until the cotton ball is dry. You can also use fig leaves to remove calluses.
Chalk powder is good for treating calluses. You can make a paste from a small piece of chalk and water and apply it to the calluses to get rid of the problem.
Ivy leaves soaked in vinegar overnight will help remove calluses. Dip a small piece of bread into the resulting mixture and apply it to the area affected by calluses.
Turmeric in an amount of 50 g, mixed with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, relieves painful sensations from calluses.
Apple cider vinegar is useful as a lotion. Soak a cotton swab in apple cider vinegar and tie it to the affected area overnight.
Buy pads or pads to protect your feet from calluses at the drug store. They are attached in places where the shoe puts the greatest pressure on the callus, thereby helping to avoid too much pressure and relieve pain. They are also able to protect the foot from rubbing new calluses. Avoid medicated callus pads as they contain salicylic acid, which can irritate healthy skin and lead to infection, especially in people with diabetes or poor circulation.
If the calluses are too large and sensitive to treat and remove on your own, consult a podiatrist. Your doctor may prescribe treatment that includes medications or surgical procedures.