Corn and Callus Treatment in Markham
Professional Care from Our Experienced Markham Chiropodists
Calluses and corns are areas of thick, hardened skin. They form on the feet because of repeated pressure and friction. They can get thick enough to make walking painful.
What Causes Calluses and Corns?
How you walk and how your feet are built can put too much pressure on certain spots. When that pressure combines with poor foot mechanics or ill-fitting shoes, the skin protects itself by thickening into a callus or corn. Feet also change over time, especially as we age, so calluses and corns can appear later in life even if you’ve never had them.
How Can I Manage Calluses and Corns at Home?
Supportive, well-fitting footwear, worn both indoors and outdoors, can help prevent pain from calluses and corns. Moisturizing your feet regularly helps, and in some cases gently filing with a pumice stone does too.
Some cautions:
- Don’t pick at or cut your calluses or corns. Doing so can make the problem worse or lead to an infection.
- Use over-the-counter medicated corn and callus removers with caution. Avoid them completely if you have diabetes or poor circulation in your legs and feet.
- Always read the instructions carefully before putting any product on your feet.
How Our Markham Chiropodists Can Help
If a callus or corn is still painful, our chiropodists at Mount Joy Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre can help. We start by reviewing your medical history and examining your feet. Then we work with you on a personalized treatment plan, which may include:
- Safe removal of painful calluses and corns using sterilized instruments
- Protective padding to relieve pressure
- A footwear assessment and recommendations for better alternatives. Footwear modifications or custom orthotics to reduce pressure and help keep calluses and corns from coming back
Corns vs. Calluses: What’s the Difference?
Corns
- Small, round and well-defined, often with a hard centre or “core”
- Usually form on the tops or sides of toes, or between toes (soft corns)
- Press into deeper layers of skin, so they can be sharply painful, especially in shoes
- Often caused by tight or poorly fitting footwear or toe deformities like hammertoes
Calluses
- Larger, flatter patches of thick, hardened skin
- Usually form on the heels, the ball of the foot or the sides of the big toe
- Spread pressure over a wider area and are often less painful, but can crack or become sore
- Often caused by how you walk, your foot structure or long periods of standing
Not sure which you have? Some conditions, like plantar warts, can look similar. Our licensed Markham chiropodists can examine your feet, confirm what’s causing your discomfort and recommend safe, effective treatment.
We Can Help Remove Your Calluses & Corns Safely
If painful corns or calluses are making it hard to walk, Mount Joy Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre can help. Our licensed chiropodists safely remove corns and calluses using instruments that are fully sterilized between every patient, so you can feel confident your care is clean, safe and professional. Book an appointment today and take the first step toward comfortable, pain-free walking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answering Questions about Corns & Callus
Calluses and corns are your skin’s natural defense mechanism. When repeated friction, shearing forces, or high pressure press against the skin—most often over a bony prominence—the body produces extra layers of keratin to protect the underlying tissue. Over time, this buildup becomes thick, hard, and frequently painful.
Attempting to shave, cut, or carve away corns and calluses with bathroom razors or scissors introduces a high risk of accidental laceration and infection. Similarly, over-the-counter medicated corn plasters contain strong acids that do not differentiate between healthy skin and dead tissue. This can cause chemical burns and open sores, especially in people with diabetes or poor circulation. Professional removal by a chiropodist is the safest option.
During a routine appointment, your chiropodist uses specialized, sterile surgical instruments to carefully pare down the thickened skin. This process is usually painless, because the skin being removed is dead tissue. We also evaluate the underlying biomechanics to target why the pressure point exists.
You can help manage skin thickness between appointments by wearing properly fitted footwear with adequate toe box depth, utilizing supportive insoles, and applying a urea-based moisturizing cream daily to maintain skin elasticity. However, whenever thick or painful buildup returns, it should be professionally managed rather than treated aggressively at home.
If a callus or corn keeps returning in the exact same spot, it points to an underlying structural or gait imbalance. Custom orthotics change how pressure is spread across your foot, which helps reduce the friction that causes corns and calluses to keep coming back.
