The thing about a callus…
You see thickening of skin
on the bottom of your foot
or even on your toes. You
try different ways to self
treat but it doesn’t seem to
be going away. What could
those skin lesions be?
The two most common
skin lesions of the foot is
either a callus, with various
presentations, or a wart.
Thickening of the skin
occurs in areas of high
pressure points. It’s your
body’s way of protecting
itself by forming a thick
layer of hard tissue. If
left ignored for too long ,
these can cause discomfort
and pain with each step,
stopping you from doing
the things you enjoy. Even
worse, it can cause the
underlying skin to break
down creating an open sore,
or ulcer, and potentially
an infection. It can occur
on the bottom of your foot
or on the toes especially if
there are toe deformities,
like a hammertoe that rubs
against the shoe.
A wart, on the other hand,
is caused by a virus that can
be contracted from barefoot
walking in communal
areas. The virus can spread
through direct contact and
is often seen on the fingers
as well. On close inspection
you’ll see tiny black
dots within the thick tissue,
indicating that the wart has
hijacked your body and
created it’s own blood channels
to feed itself. Gentle
trimming of the callus may
reveal pinpoint bleeding
that is different from a
callus.
It is important to get the
correct diagnosis before
treating. Often I see patients
who have tried treating a
callus with a wart medication
or they treat a wart
with a product that damages
healthy skin.
Calluses are treated with
a better shoe fit, custom
orthotics that specifically
take the pressure off that
particular area, nonsteroidal
injections like a foot filler
can aid in decreasing pain
and lastly surgery may be
indicated in severe cases.
Minimally invasive surgery
is my preferred technique to
keep patients active while
decreasing the morbidity of
traditional open surgery.
Warts can be treated with
freezing, off label use of
cantharidin, microwave
therapy, needling or surgical
removal. The most important
part of treatment is consistency
in the therapy and
prevention so it does not
recur. It is also important to
treat the entire household
to prevent it from spreading.
If there is an unusual
growth on your feet, get it
evaluated immediately. The
longer you wait, the more
difficult treatments can be.
ule at 831-288-3400.