What do corns look like?
"When your feet hurt, you hurt all over"
How often have we heard this said? And how many times has this been due to a corn? Many, many times! Corns can be very painful and prevent normal, everyday activities.
If you aren't certain what's wrong with your foot and you suspect a corn, this is what you are looking for:
Hard corns (Heloma Durum) are translucent, creamy, yellow or white areas of very hard skin, usually circular, which hurt if you press directly on them. Sometimes they are higher than the surrounding skin, but not always. They sometimes occur in areas that also have a lot of surrounding hard skin, or callouses. They can appear anywhere on your foot, but are usually caused by friction between a prominent bone and your shoe.
A corn between your toes is usually a soft corn (Heloma Molle), often semicircular in shape and surrounded by very white soggy skin which can easily break and become infected. The affected toe is often very red and may be swollen.
Seed corns (Heloma Mille) differ in their appearance as they are tiny white hard specks, mostly felt when you rub your hand over the surface of your skin. They are usually painless but are often accompanied by a very dry skin.
When you next feel compelled to kick off your shoes and rub your feet, get a little closer to inspect them thoroughly, as it may be a corn.
