Calluses and Corns - Symptoms

Symptoms
The symptoms of calluses and corns include pain while walking or wearing shoes and difficulty fitting into shoes. Pressing or squeezing the callus or corn may also cause pain.
You can tell you have a callus or corn by its appearance. A callus is hard, dry, and thick and may appear grayish or yellowish. It may be less sensitive to your touch than surrounding skin, and it may feel bumpy. A hard corn is also firm and thick. It may have a soft yellow ring with a gray center. A soft corn looks like an open sore.
See illustrations of a callus and hard and soft corns.
A callus or corn may be confused with a wart. Warts are generally tender and painful when pinched side to side, whereas calluses and corns can be painful when pressing directly on them. See illustrations of types of warts. For more information, see the topic Warts and Plantar Warts.
Other conditions that can resemble a callus or corn include:
An object in the skin, such as a sliver.
Inflammation of the lining of the joint at the end of the metatarsal bone (synovitis).
A pinched nerve between toes (Morton's neuroma).
Hardened areas of skin due to genetics.
Author: Ralph Poore
Medical Review: Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology
Last Updated: February 16, 2006
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