If you are embarrassed by your corn or are in severe agony or suffering, corn removal surgery may be for you.
Read on to find out more about corns and how to get rid of them.
What Is the Difference Between Corns and Calluses?
Corns are hard, thickened pieces of skin that typically appear on areas of the feet that do not bear weight, such as the sides, in between, and on top of the toes.
Corns and calluses are frequently confused, although they can be recognized by their unique location.
That is, corns form on pressure points and are typically chunky and uncomfortable.
Calluses, on the other hand, develop on the weight-bearing area of the foot and are flatter, wider, and far less painful than corns.
What Common Symptoms Arise From Corns?
Corns are thick, hardened layers of skin formed when the skin is subjected to severe friction or pressure.
They are often small, spherical, elevated lumps that have calcified and are surrounded by inflamed skin.
They are smaller and deeper than callouses, with a hard center and inflamed skin on either side. They can be incredibly uncomfortable to touch.
Common symptoms include thickened or hardened patches of skin on the feet or toes; a lump on the skin; flaky, dry skin around the area; and pain or tenderness.
When to Consider Surgery for Corn Removal
In addition to improving the appearance of your feet, corn removal surgery can alleviate the pain associated with corns.
Although conservative treatment measures such as wearing roomier shoes and applying moleskin pads might help manage corns in healthy people who aren't in too much pain, surgery to remove them may be considered in a variety of conditions.
People with diabetes or other circulatory-weakening disorders may find it beneficial.
Diabetics frequently have poor blood circulation and a loss of sensation called neuropathy, which can make pain difficult to detect and recovery more difficult to attain. A delay in diagnosis can potentially result in infection.
Surgery may also be the best option for those who are in severe pain or have difficulties following normal activity regimens or wearing shoes.
Intense pain and suffering when walking are not conditions that anyone should have to deal with.
Corrective surgery should also be considered if a structural abnormality of the foot or toes has resulted in the recurring development of corns or calluses.
If you want to find a surgeon before making any decisions, you may try to search “corn removal surgery near me” to find a list of specialists in your area.
Is Corn Removal Surgery Painful?
The local anesthetic keeps the area numb for a period following surgery.
When it wears off and there is throbbing, agonizing, or scorching pain, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication can help relieve it.
Elevating the foot above the level of the heart might reduce discomfort, therefore the surgeon might suggest it for at least the first 48 hours after surgery.
Corn Removal Surgery and Recovery
Corn removal surgery is the last resort after all other options have been exhausted, such as changing shoes, cushioning, and shaving the corn.
Its sole purpose is to ease the pain associated with the condition and to treat the underlying cause of the corn.
Surgery is a brief office procedure that uses local anesthetic. Usually, the process is rapid.
Our podiatrists use a sterile scalpel to make a small incision (approximately 1 cm) and shave off the dead skin down to the root of the corn, which is then removed.
In most cases, however, corns occur when the toe joint bends out of shape, as in a hammertoe or bunion deformity, causing the overlying skin to scrape against the shoe.
When this happens, the malformation must be addressed alongside the corn.
