How to avoid those irritating foot corns and calluses

Foot corns, the nasty bumps that can grow on the sides of your toes, at the sole of your foot and in between one of your toes, are caused by friction inside your shoes. Corns are products of your skin's reaction to the pressure and irritation your shoes cause as they rub your foot.

Two types of foot corns exist: hard corns and soft corns:

• A hard corn is most often found on the fifth toe and feels firm. Sometimes, a hard corn may be found on another toe.
• A soft corn usually makes itself known on the skin between the fourth and fifth toe.
  It's symptoms are: thicker layers of skin that usually shows on toe knuckles – especially the pinky toe – they are grouped together and feel a lot harder than the skin around it.

Tips on how to avoid foot corns:

• Start wearing properly fitting shoes.
• Stop wearing shoes that cause your feet pressure or irritation.
• Women: Reduce the amount of time you're wearing high heels, or stop wearing them at all.
• It is advisable to use insoles in your shoes to avoid pressure at certain points.
• If you already have a corn, try filing off excess skin with pedicure files or rasps, or you could apply a skin softening creamto reduce the effects of corns.
• But first and foremost try wearing shoes with a wider toe box to decrease the pressure inflicted on current foot corns.

Recognize symptoms of corns by asking yourself the following :

• Are you having a small spot of thick skin on one of your toes?
• Do you feel a particular hard area on your toe?
• Are any skin spots thicker than the normal smoot skin of your toes?

Causes of corns:

Corns can be painful and aren’t exactly nice to look at either, but a foot corn does provide protection against contact with an offending surface – usually an ill-fitting shoe.Problem is that your skin gives you that protection on one particular spot. Women, who often wear poor fitting shoes for the sake of fashion, develop corns on average more often than men.

Major reasons of foot corns include:

• Narrow shoes, especially dress shoes women tend to wear.
• Sweat or moisture trapped between toes. (Hygiene and toesocks recommended)
• Friction of the toes within the shoe
• High heels

Relief and Prevention:

Foot corns do not present a long-term or serious health risk. But they can be very painful.

Feel free to use the links above;.there are so many ways to combat corns and callus these days! The links will take you directly to a corn and callus fighting product of your choice. Find another fine article on corns on this page at Foot.com