Everyday life takes a toll on your feet. Between too-tight shoes, lots of walking, and other activities that cause repeated friction in the same areas of your feet, corns and calluses form. They’re hard, knobbly, dry and irritating patches of skin that can be very uncomfortable and can often make you self-conscious when wearing sandals or bearing your feet.
These days the internet is flooded with products and gadgets designed to help with corn and callus removal. Between the viral foot peel booties and the pedicure videos on TikTok there’s the distinct impression that whipping off a corn or callus is super easy. Many try to do it themselves at home, BUT, in reality corn and callus removal should only be completed by a professional for a few very good reasons. Here’s why you shouldn’t try to do it yourself…
The Risk Of Infection
The problem with all those viral videos of corns and calluses being removed is that they give a very unrealistic view of the procedure. For one thing, they are usually sped up a lot. You spend about 90 seconds watching the full sole of a foot be liberated from thick, tough calluses and you think ‘Huh, well that’s nice and easy, I can do that!’.
Next you have the issue that tools used in these videos are often sold on affiliate links from the video creator; this actively encourages people to buy their own bladed tools and start cutting their own feet.
Seriously, does this sound sensible? Trust us, it’s not! Unless you’re a trained professional you should not be taking any form of bladed instrument to your feet. In all likelihood you will not only cut the callus or corn you’re aiming for, but also healthy flesh. This will then easily become infected. You can rapidly end up with a far worse foot situation than you started with; one that requires strong antibiotics and weeks of pain to heal.
Accidental Injury
An extension of the risk of infection is the risk of accidental injury. While a small nick to the healthy flesh on your feet can cause infection – especially if you haven’t properly sanitised your instrument, hands and feet before starting – you are also dealing with a sharp blade.
Sharp blades lead to injury. When you haven’t been trained in how to safely remove a callus or corn the likelihood is your hand will slip while you’re trying to do it. Not only can you cut your foot, but you’re also exposing your hands, wrists, and ankles to that blade. Bear in mind you have veins very close to the skin in all these areas, and you quickly realise a cut could be very serious.
The Extreme Awkwardness Of Reaching The Soles Of Your Feet
Finally one of the less medical reasons to never try this yourself is that reaching the soles of your own feet is incredibly difficult. When you have a pro doing this procedure for you they can position your feet in the optimal way to ensure a firm grip, the right angle, ample lighting and various other factors. When you’re trying to reach your own soles you are very limited in your angle of approach, and many people aren’t flexible enough to reach them at all.
You think touching your toes is tough? How are you going to safely cut the soles of your feet? Yes, knees can be bent, you can sit comfortably, but it’s still a very awkward thing to attempt, and there will always be one side of each foot that you can’t reach as easily as the other.
If you’re thinking, “That’s okay, I’ll get someone else to do it for me!” we refer you back to the risk of infection and accidental injury, which is still a very real possibility if you’re having your mum, your friend, or your significant other try this for you.
The best way to ensure safe and successful corn and callus removal is to book an appointment at our clinic in Northwich and let us do it for you. We’ve been happily removing the corns and calluses of Cheshire residents for years; your feet will be in safe hands.
