Isn’t it amazing that as a kid you had no calluses on your feet and now you have painful corns and calluses? Once you have them removed why do they keep coming back? They’re getting more painful as you age making it difficult for you to take a walk, run and be active. A callus is a buildup of layers of skin in an area where there is a higher impact on the foot. Wouldn’t it be great to use a filler to cushion your callus and relieve the pain?
Corn is analogous to an actual kernel of corn that is pressed deep into the ear of the cob. Corn on the skin is a buildup of skin that turned into layers of skin. This occurs in an area where there is extreme force and friction on the underlying bone. In between the bone and the shoe or the bone and the floor, the only thing there to take the brunt of the load is your skin. When there’s too much force on the skin the body tries to protect itself and adds layers of skin.
If you have attempted to shave the corn or had it taken care of during a pedicure (which I don’t recommend due to the risk of infection. See Medical Pedicure) it will return.
Treatment of Corns and Calluses
There are three main ways to prevent the corn or callus from forming. The first is balancing with a shoe innersole called an orthotic. The second is surgery to realign the bones and provide a different skeletal structure. Third, is where we provide an internal cushion between the skin and the bone so that the substance placed under the corn takes the brunt of the load, not the skin. This is called cushion restoration, cushioning a callus, or fat cushion and restoration.
Cushioning a Callus
Cushioning a callus can be performed with common fillers like Sculptra, Radiesse, or Juvederm® Voluma which can be used in between the skin and the bone to act as an internal pad to cushion your callus. This is a quick in-office injection that requires annual touchups. There’s no downtime and there is a quick return to activity. Over time, you’ll see the corn or callus slowly disappear. The doctors at the Foot, Ankle & Leg Vein Center in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach exclusively perform these procedures in South Florida.
