Corns are painful. They come in different types and have slight differences in their treatment but they are caused by pressure. When we apply pressure to a point on our foot for example by walking then a constant or repeating pressure will cause a tiny piece of skin to die due to it being starved of nutrients by the pressure. This tiny tiny piece of dead skin then dries and then gets very hard. Callus starts to build up around the corn and it gets bigger causing more pain, discomfort and can alter the way we walk or stand. By altering the way that we walk we are causing more stress on different parts of the body which can lead to further problems.

Corns are first treated by removing any surrounding callus then carefully easing the corn out and leaving the area as smooth as it can be. Padding may be applied if it will spread out the causative stress over a larger area. After the corn has been removed we must ask "What is causing the stress"? so that we may take steps to stop the corn returning. One option is an insert in the shoe which will help correct the way in which we walk or stand.

Hard corns often appear on the tips or tops of toes due to the friction and the pressure found there.The friction caused by the shoe rubbing against the skin increased the blood flow to the area and this will cause more rapid growth and more discomfort.

Soft corns are often found between the toes that don't conform to the typical hour glass shape of the underlying bone. A wide bone within the toe will increase the amount of pressure between the toes and a corn may develop. It is not unusual to see a matching pair of corns on both toes due to the pressure caused by the wearing of shoes. High heeled shoes can push the foot forward and squeeze it into the front of the shoe creating more pressure and soft corns may develop.

Seed corns are tiny and can be found anywhere on the foot not just over bony areas like other corn types. These small corns can make you feel like you have a splinter or piece of glass in your shoe. They are often found in feet that have very dry skin.