The appearance of calluses (hyperkeratosis) is never the result of chance. According to Jean-Loup Lafeuillade, podiatrist, there is not a single cause, but a range of factors. The “red thread”, however, remains friction or excessive pressure.
Why does the horn settle under our feet?
“There is no single cause for the appearance of corns, calluses or cracked heels” explains the expert. He distinguishes three main reasons:
- Hyperpressure areas: If the foot does not rest evenly on the ground, the body produces horns to protect itself at the points of contact. “There are areas of hyperpressure and calluses or even plantar corns form in these areas”;
- Morphology: Deformities such as hallux valgus or hammer toes create permanent conflicts with the shoe;
- Trampling: Prolonged standing, especially with poorly fitted shoes, accentuates these phenomena.
The unsuspected enemy: the open shoe
We love them from the first rays of sun, but mules, flip-flops and other slides are the main culprits for cracked heels. For what ? Because they don’t support the rearfoot.
With each step, the sole “taps” against the heel. This micro-trauma, repeated thousands of times a day, attacks the skin.
“We don’t have the impression that it traumatizes the skin. Obviously, it doesn’t hurt, but repeated 5 or 6 or 7000 times a day… the skin reacts and it can go so far as to create cracks in the heels which can bleed and become infected” indicates the podiatrist.
Diabetes and pathologies: when the “boo” becomes a major risk
For a healthy person, a corn is a nuisance. For a patient with diabetes, this is a silent threat. Diabetes can cause a loss of sensitivity, called neuropathy. “The patient will not feel that he has pain in one place, where there is a corn, for example. It can therefore progress to the point of becoming infected.”
Other patients must be extra vigilant:
- Those affected by arteritis: “It is also a cause of toe and extremity amputation and necrosis. calls back our expert;
- Those facing cancer: “Patients undergoing chemotherapy often have damaged nails and appendages and drier skin.
If the lesion becomes “pulsatile”, red or swollen, consultation is imperative. In most cases, the intervention of the podiatrist is sufficient. “We remove the small central part which is very, very dense and in 90% of cases, that is enough.”
Good gestures (and those to ban) at home
To care for your feet without taking risks, the podiatrist advises simplicity and caution:
- Banish the blades: “I advise against the use of blades because some patients self-treat… And as a general rule, this always ends with a consultation with the podiatrist or doctor with a wound” ;
- Moisturize your feet daily:
“Moisturizing your skin every day with a moisturizing foot cream is essential”; - Prefer the use of graters: “You can care for your feet daily with rasps, with pumice stones, with anything you can find on the market”
assures the podiatrist.
It qualifies the interest of foot baths. “The problem with foot baths is that, paradoxically, it can have a more harmful effect than a beneficial one. For what ? Because dead skin and residue macerate between the toes. If you do one, be sure to rub between your toes and especially dry your corners well to avoid the appearance of fungus.”
he concludes.