Corns and Calluses: What They Are, Why You Get Them, and How to Stop Them Coming Back
- Millie Brown
- Jun 22
- 5 min read
By Millie | Yorkshire Foot Clinic, Horsforth
Corns and calluses are two of the most common foot complaints I see at Yorkshire Foot Clinic — and also two of the most misunderstood. Most people assume they're just a cosmetic issue, or something to manage with a pumice stone and some cream. The reality is more interesting than that, and understanding what's actually happening to your skin can help you break the cycle of them coming back time and time again.
What is a callus?
A callus is a diffuse area of thickened skin that forms in response to repeated pressure or friction. It's your body doing exactly what it's supposed to do — protecting itself. When a specific area of your foot is under more load than it can comfortably handle, the skin responds by building up extra layers of keratin to create a buffer.
Calluses are typically flat, broad, and found on weight-bearing areas — the ball of the foot, the heel, and the underside of the big toe are the most common sites. In isolation, a callus isn't dangerous, but it can become uncomfortable, and if the underlying pressure isn't addressed, it will continue to build.
What is a corn?
A corn is a more concentrated version of the same process. Where a callus spreads the thickening across a wider area, a corn forms a tight, focal point of hardened skin — and crucially, it has a central nucleus that points inward, toward the deeper tissue.
That nucleus is what makes corns painful. Unlike a callus, which tends to cause a dull ache or feeling of walking on a stone, a corn can produce sharp, pinpoint pain — sometimes from the lightest pressure. There are two main types:
Hard corns (heloma durum) — found on bony prominences, usually the tops or sides of toes, or the ball of the foot
Soft corns (heloma molle) — found between the toes, where moisture keeps the skin soft; these can be particularly uncomfortable and are prone to infection if left untreated
Why do we get them?
The short answer: sustained pressure in the wrong places.
But it's worth unpacking why that pressure exists, because the cause is usually one of three things:
1. FootwearIll-fitting shoes are the most common driver. Shoes that are too narrow compress the toes together. Shoes that are too shallow create friction over bony prominences. Flat, unsupportive footwear concentrates load through a small number of points rather than distributing it across the whole foot.
2. Foot structureHow your foot is shaped influences where pressure falls. High arches, flat feet, bunions, hammer toes, and prominent metatarsal heads all create areas of increased load. This is why some people are simply more prone to corns and calluses than others — it's not about hygiene or skin type, it's about mechanics.
3. Gait and load distributionThe way you walk determines where and how hard your foot strikes the ground with every step. Overpronation, supination, or altered gait from an injury elsewhere in the body can all shift load toward areas of the foot that aren't designed to bear it.
Why does arch support help?
This is the part most people don't think about — and it's the most important piece of the puzzle if you want corns and calluses to stop recurring.
When the arch of the foot is unsupported, the foot flattens under load. This changes the angle of the metatarsals and shifts weight toward the ball of the foot and specific points along the sole. Over time, those points develop callus — or, if the load is focal enough, a corn.
A proper arch support does several things simultaneously:
Redistributes load across a wider surface area of the foot, so no single point takes a disproportionate amount of pressure
Controls pronation, reducing the inward roll that shifts load medially and toward the ball of the foot
Lifts and supports the metatarsal heads, reducing forefoot pressure — which is often where the most problematic calluses form
Reduces shear force — the sliding friction between the foot and the shoe that drives callus formation even when direct pressure is managed
In clinical practice, I regularly see patients whose corns have been treated repeatedly — scraped, filed, padded — but keep returning within weeks. In almost every case, the pressure causing them has never been addressed. Treating the corn without addressing the load is like painting over damp — it looks better temporarily, but the problem is still there underneath.
What about during summer?
Summer is when I see a significant spike in corn and callus complaints, and the reason is
almost always footwear.
Flip flops and completely flat sandals offer no arch support whatsoever. The foot flattens, load concentrates, and the skin responds. Strappy sandals can create new pressure points on the tops of toes and across the forefoot. And because people are often more active in summer — more walking, more time outdoors — the foot is under load for longer periods each day.
The irony is that summer footwear tends to show the feet off more, which is exactly when people are most bothered by the appearance of hard skin.
What's the solution?
There are two parts to this — treatment and prevention.
Treatment: A podiatrist can remove corns and calluses safely, quickly, and without pain in a single appointment. We use a scalpel to debride the skin and remove the corn nucleus entirely — something that cannot be achieved with over-the-counter treatments or home filing, both of which risk damaging the surrounding healthy skin. Corn plasters in particular can cause chemical burns, especially in people with reduced sensation or circulation.
Prevention: This is where footwear becomes critical. If you return to the same unsupportive footwear after treatment, the corn will return — usually within four to eight weeks. Choosing footwear with a proper arch support, heel cup, and contoured footbed is not a luxury. It's what changes the outcome long-term.
Why I recommend Moffootwear for summer
As a podiatrist, I'm often asked what sandals I actually recommend — especially for patients who've had corns or calluses treated and want to protect that result through summer.
The honest answer is that genuinely supportive sandals that you'd also want to wear are hard to find. Most supportive footwear is clinical in appearance. Most attractive summer sandals are biomechanically useless.
Moffootwear exists because I couldn't find what I was looking for. Designed from a podiatrist's perspective, the sandals are built around the features that actually matter for foot health:
A deep heel cup to contain and support the heel fat pad
A contoured arch to distribute load and reduce forefoot pressure
An anatomically shaped leather footbed that offloads the metatarsal heads — exactly where corns and calluses most commonly form
A firm sole that doesn't collapse underfoot, maintaining structural support throughout the day
They come in two styles — a two-strap and a thong — in black, brown, and cream, at £45 a pair. They're designed to be worn all day, not just to look good on the shelf.
If you've just had a corn or callus treated and you want to protect that result this summer,
your footwear is the single most important factor in whether it comes back. Shop Moffootwear at moffootwear.com.
When to see a podiatrist
Book an appointment if:
A corn or callus is causing pain that affects how you walk
Hard skin is cracking or bleeding
You have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, or poor circulation — in which case you should not attempt self-treatment
A corn has returned multiple times despite treatment elsewhere
Yorkshire Foot Clinic is in Horsforth, Leeds, with appointments available on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Millie is a podiatrist and the founder of Yorkshire Foot Clinic in Horsforth, Leeds, and Moffootwear — podiatrist-designed leather sandals for all-day comfort.
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