Have you ever had a corn or callus? If you have, you would know that these are not specimens of beauty. They are ugly, hard and sometimes painful. However, corns and calluses are very common conditions. Usually known as thickened skin on the foot, corns are usually found on the tops of toes and calluses are found on the bottom of feet. They can also be found on the fingers due to excessive writing with a pen or playing instruments such as the guitar. Corns and calluses develop because of friction and pressure against the skin which can result in pain. If skin is rubbed too frequently, this will cause blisters instead of calluses to form. When rubbed on a frequent basis, this is where corns and calluses are formed. Corns and calluses are most frequently found on the feet. When one walks frequently, this can be a culprit for calluses. Walking isn’t something we can really avoid so it’s not uncommon to build calluses on the bottom of the feet. At some point the calluses can become so thick it becomes painful. So how do you get rid of calluses and corns on the feet? The first line of defense is to have good supporting shoes that are wide at the toes with a low heel. By having wide toed shoes, the feet are not squished and by having a low heel, there is less pressure on the balls of feet. Using over-the-counter pads, lotions, pumice stones, callus removers, foot baths and scrub brushes may help with reducing the thickened skin. Depending on how severe the callus or corn is, more aggressive action may need to be taken by a professional. Diabetics are especially prone to calluses because of the changes in skin tissue and lack of sensation caused by nerve damage. To get rid of very thick calluses, use callus remover tools to shave or grind down the thickened skin. Don’t worry, the skin is so thick you won’t even feel the tool. But as you shave off more and more skin and get closer to fresh skin, this is when you know it may be time to stop. Depending on how thick the callus is, you may need to grind down quite a bit. To minimize the amount of grinding you have to do, be sure to shave down your calluses before they become too thick. To get rid of corns, there are medicated pads available that help soften hardened corns so they can more easily be removed. Since corns are small it may be difficult to use any kind of pumice stone or file to remove them, especially if they are in a hard-to-reach place. So a treated pad often medicated with salicylic acid can be quite effective at removing small spots of hardened skin. But the best news comes in the form of prevention because like anything, prevention is easier and less costly to carry out than treatment. By getting properly fitted footwear, wearing protective pads and frequently using a callus reducer, you can keep calluses and corns down to a minimum. Using these preventative measures will slow down the growth of the calluses and it will take longer for them to form. Other ways to prevent calluses and corns are to use gloves when doing manual labor, soak your hands or feet in warm water and exfoliate a few times a week, and/or condition the affected skin with a rich moisturizing lotion or oil. There are numerous ways to prevent these unsightly skin conditions. It's just a matter of taking these actions on a regular basis. The good news is that you have many options and they are treatable.