For those of you that have a foot callus or two, don’t despair! Although they can be painful, they are generally easy to treat from the comfort of your own home. It is important not to ignore them as an unattended callus can become more painful or infected. We’ve put together these tips for home treatment, try them but if you’re situation gets any worse, always seek medical advice.
Know exactly where the callus is
There may be many lumps and bumps on your feet, so a callus could just blend in visually. To find where the callus is, gently massage your feet feeling for hardened areas under the skin.
Clean your feet thoroughly
Using a pumice stone gently exfoliate the skin on and around the callus. Doing this after a shower or a bath is best as your skin will be soft.
Soak your feet
Soaking your feet in warm water for 15 minutes will soften the hard callus. Add a few drops of olive or jojoba oil to add moisture.
Even when you don’t have a callus on your feet, it is a good idea to soak them on a daily basis. Not only is this relaxing but it will help alleviate any pain or tiredness from the feet and will keep them soft and less prone to calluses.
Moisturise
Moisturising your feet is very important if you suffer from a callus. After exfoliating or using the pumice stone, moisturiser will help soften the callus even more. Moisturising lotion that contains cocoa butter or vitamin E is recommended. Apply it all over the foot, and put on a pair of cotton socks to hold in the moisture.
Invest in corn pads
If your callus is painful, corn pads which are elongated donut-shaped looking plasters will help stop the friction from shoes.
Wear comfortable shoes
Try wearing well fitted shoes with low heels and park the high heels for a while. Shoes should never be too tight or too loose.
The above tips provide some useful information on how to treat a callus if you have one. It’s not the end of the world, although it might be painful and annoying. Hopefully this article will help to alleviate some of that pain.
