Foot Care Emergency Service
Corns
A plantar corn is a discrete-nucleated callus that contains a central keratin plug.
I never thought that such a tiny spot could hurt so much.
It’s always better in the morning. It hurts more in the evening. A small area with incredibly massive pressure pain in the evening. The spot is squeezed when standing. When standing up, it presses on the spot and that hurts.
The tiny dot is a so-called hyperkeratosis. The skin can be divided from the outside inwards into upper skin (epidermis), leather skin (dermis) and subcutaneous tissue (subcutis). In a corn, the outermost layer of the epidermis, the horny layer, known as the stratum corneum, thickens at one point.
The upper skin (epidermis) consists of several layers of irregularly shaped, flat, mosaic-like interlocked squamous epithelial cells, which are stably connected to one another by so-called tight junctions. A horny layer can form on the surface due to the death of horn-forming cells, the so-called keratinocytes, and the subsequent deposition of the cell bodies. The horny substance is keratin. Keratin gives the skin protection and stability.
In the case of a corn, the thickening of the horny layer is only noticeable as a dot on the surface of the skin. In reality, the spot you see is like a telegraph pole that you look at on top of it. That means, you only look at the circular end of a column that protrudes into the depth.
A corn is a deep plug of horn, of which only the „eye“ is perceptible as a dot.
The epidermis is usually between 0.01 and 0.04 millimeters thick. The horny layer on the soles of the feet normally measures between 1-5 millimeters, which is 100 times thicker than the horny layer of the skin in other parts of the body. You can well imagine that when pressure is exerted on a cylindrical corneal plug in the sole of the foot, be it by pressing on it with your finger or when walking and standing, it hurts. The plug is pressed in the so-called papillary layer of the epidermis onto fine nerve endings, so-called nociceptors. We perceive the stimulation of these receptors as pain.
The formation of such horns, which are corns, is caused by pressure in a particular place. It is a normal reaction of the body to this damage to the skin by pressure to react with increased regeneration of the horny layer. Quasi to protect yourself.
A common spot for corns is the back of the little toe. The pressure comes from the shoes. It can even form a small vicious circle, because the thickened cornea in turn means that the space for the toe in the shoe becomes even less. This can further increase the pressure and press on the corneal plug, the corn, protruding into the depth.
Corn treatment
Treating a corn is simple and usually results in immediate freedom from pain. The thickened skin in the area of the corn is first removed with a scalpel and then the corneal plug that protrudes into the depth is removed with a so-called chisel blade.
Corn treatment on weekends
The pain of a corn can be very acute. Mostly on weekends. It’s almost like an emergency calling for a corn emergency right now.
Is Removing Corns Painful?
A corn can be removed painlessly with a so-called chisel blade. A chisel blade is a blade with a characteristically shaped cutting edge for cutting hard material such as corns.
How Much Does Corn Removal Cost?
The cost of a skilled corn removal by a foot care doctor is an affordable medical procedure.