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Corns and calluses

Corns and calluses are patches of thickened skin that build up where shoes, bones or the way you move put repeated pressure or friction on your skin. They can be sore but are not often serious. Easing the pressure is the main step, and some people should be seen rather than self-treat.

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPodLast reviewed 27 October 2026 5 min read

Jump to a section
  1. 1. What are corns and calluses?
  2. 2. What causes them, and who gets them?
  3. 3. What do they feel like, and how are they diagnosed?
  4. 4. What helps first?
  5. 5. What helps if home care isn't enough?
  6. 6. How long do they take to go, and how can I stop them coming back?
  7. 7. When to see a podiatrist

At a glance

  • They're thickened skin, a normal response to repeated pressure or friction, and they're not often serious.
  • A corn is a small, hard lump with a core; a callus is a broader, flatter patch.
  • Easing the pressure is the main step, starting with shoes that aren't tight, pointed or high-heeled.
  • Don't cut them yourself, because that can cause infection or damage healthy skin.

What are corns and calluses?

Corns and calluses are areas of thickened skin (hyperkeratosis). This is a normal protective response to repeated pressure or friction. A corn, which doctors may also call a clavus or heloma, is a small lump with a hard, cone-shaped core in the middle. A callus is a broader, flatter patch of thick skin.

Calluses usually form under the front of the foot, and callus is the most common foot skin complaint at every age. Both can be sore, but they're not often serious.

What causes them, and who gets them?

They form when skin is under repeated pressure, friction or shearing. Common contributors are poorly fitting shoes, a foot shape or way of walking that overloads one spot (abnormal foot mechanics), and high activity levels.

Corns often sit over bony areas, such as a joint, and the core can hurt more if it presses on a nerve. In older people, incorrectly fitted shoes are linked with corns, though that link doesn't prove the shoes are the cause.

If you have diabetes, a callus on the sole is a sign of abnormal pressure that may lead to ulcers (open sores). That's a good reason to have it looked at.

What do they feel like, and how are they diagnosed?

A corn is typically a small, hard, often yellowish lump over a pressure point or a bony joint. It hurts when you press straight onto it. Calluses are larger patches of rough, thick skin, mostly seen on the feet, toes and hands.

How it looks and where it sits help tell what you have. One look-alike is a verruca (plantar wart). Corns and calluses tend to form on weight-bearing areas, while verrucas can appear anywhere on the foot. A verruca is more likely if squeezing the spot from the side (a pinch) is painful.

What helps first?

Start by taking the pressure off. Avoid tight, pointed shoes and high heels, and try not to walk long distances or stand for long periods. Check the spot daily for bleeding under the skin, redness, swelling or pus.

Please don't cut a corn or callus off yourself. It can cause infection, and some corns contain nerves and blood vessels that can bleed heavily if cut. Leave any trimming to a podiatrist. If a corn or callus becomes infected, a GP may prescribe antibiotics or refer you on.

What helps if home care isn't enough?

A podiatrist is the next step when home care hasn't worked and pain is getting in the way of your daily activities. As well as treating the corn or callus itself, they can look at what's putting pressure on the spot: your shoes, a bony lump or the way you walk.

For adults with diabetes, custom-made rigid shoe inserts (orthoses) may reduce the number and grade of calluses, though the evidence is limited. It isn't clear yet whether custom inserts help corns and calluses in people without diabetes.

How long do they take to go, and how can I stop them coming back?

How long they take to settle isn't clear yet. Easing the pressure that caused them is the sensible place to start.

Footwear is the part you can most easily change. Corns on the top or sides of the toes tend to come from shoes that aren't deep or wide enough at the toebox (the front of the shoe). Choose shoes with enough room there. If a corn keeps coming back, a podiatrist can help you find the source of the pressure.

If you have diabetes, regular professional foot review matters. Callus signals abnormal pressure, and ill-fitting shoes are strongly linked with foot ulcers in older people with diabetes.

When to see a podiatrist

See your GP or a podiatrist the same day if:

  • you have diabetes and a corn or callus has a wound, sore, blister, break in the skin or colour change on or around it;
  • there is spreading redness, heat, swelling or pus in the foot.

For urgent advice when it isn't an emergency, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (24 hours a day), or go to a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

Go to the nearest emergency department if you have diabetes and a foot infection that's spreading fast, with a fever and feeling very unwell.

An open sore (ulcer) or active Charcot arthropathy (a joint condition of the foot) needs urgent referral, so see your GP soon if you have either.

See a podiatrist or your GP if:

  • it bleeds, including under the skin, or the skin underneath looks very dark;
  • the pain is severe;
  • it hasn't improved after 3 weeks of home care.

Common questions

What is a soft corn between the toes?

A soft corn is a corn that forms between the toes, usually from pressure and toes rubbing together. Because the skin there stays moist, it looks white and rubbery rather than yellow and hard. Roomier shoes can ease the rubbing. If it's sore or the skin breaks down, a podiatrist can take a look.

Are corn plasters and over-the-counter removal products safe?

They can cause infection or damage healthy skin, so it's safest to check with a pharmacist or podiatrist before using one. Products containing salicylic acid should be avoided if you have diabetes or poor circulation. In those cases, a podiatrist or your GP is the better first step.

Why do my corns keep coming back?

Corns and calluses are your skin's response to pressure, so they tend to return while the pressure is still there. The source can be your shoes, a bony lump or the way you walk. A podiatrist can help you work out which is the cause and what to change.

Further reading

Want to know more? Corns and calluses on Clindice

Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod

Podiatrist

Reviewed 27 October 2026. Next review by 27 October 2027.

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Sources

(12)
  1. 1.Corns and calluses resulting from mechanical hyperkeratosisFreeman DB · American Family Physician · 2002
  2. 2.Surgical Excision of Intractable Plantar Keratoses (Corns) of the Foot: A Scoping ReviewReilly IN, Longhurst B, Vlahovic TC · Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association · 2023
  3. 3.The evaluation of three treatments for plantar callus: a three-armed randomised, comparative trial using biophysical outcome measuresHashmi F, Nester CJ, Wright CRF et al. · Trials · 2016
  4. 4.Corns and callusesNHS · 2022
  5. 5.Corns and callusesThe Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust · 2026
  6. 6.Incorrectly fitted footwear, foot pain and foot disorders: a systematic search and narrative review of the literatureBuldt AK, Menz HB · Journal of Foot and Ankle Research · 2018
  7. 7.The use of orthotic devices to correct plantar callus in people with diabetesColagiuri S, Marsden LL, Naidu V et al. · Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice · 1995
  8. 8.Hard Skin and CornsNHS Lanarkshire
  9. 9.Skin disordersNHS
  10. 10.Corns and CallusesNHS
  11. 11.CornsHealth New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
  12. 12.Effectiveness of offloading methods in preventing primary diabetic foot ulcers in adults with diabetes: a systematic reviewHeuch L, Gomersall JS · JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports · 2016

This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. For advice about your own feet or legs, see a podiatrist or your doctor. In an emergency, call 000.

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