Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Alternative Names
Calluses and corns
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Corns and calluses are caused by pressure or friction on skin. A corn is thickened skin on the top or side of a toe, usually from shoes that do not fit properly. A callus is thickened skin on your hands or the soles of your feet.
The thickening of the skin is a protective reaction. For example, farmers and rowers get callused hands that prevent them from getting painful blisters. People with
Neither corns nor calluses are serious conditions.
Review Date: 07/10/2009
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of
Medicine; C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports
Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
