How To Treat A Callus Under Toenail? Everything You Need To Know

We’ve all heard about corns and calluses, haven’t we? They are very common foot problems that occur when you don’t give your feet any importance. A callus under toenail is nothing but an area of thickened, hard skin. It usually develops when your skin is subjected to excessive friction or pressure. The condition causes a lot of discomfort and pain even when you’re walking.

People suffering from bunions or hammer toes develop thick skin under the toenail. Wearing tight shoes, standing for longer hours, or having sweaty feet can also be the possible causes.

So let’s get into the specific details of this foot problem. This way you’ll be able to decide what home remedy for calluses will be suitable to treat callus under toenail.

What are Calluses? What Causes Them to Develop?

Calluses are rough, hardened areas of skin that become yellow in color. Apart from developing under toenails, they are also found in the heel, palm, and knuckles. A callus is not as small as a corn. So you can easily differentiate between them. Calluses don’t have sharp edges and are not too sensitive in nature.

When your skin under the toenail is subjected to excessive pressure, the development of a callus is inevitable. Physically demanding activities that tend to exert too much pressure on the toenail lead to the formation of calluses. The foot problem is quite common among athletes as they do a lot of walking and running.

Another common cause is dry skin under the toenail. You should also know that older adults don’t have enough fatty skin tissue. So such a low level of fatty padding under the toenail can also lead to the formation of a callus.

>>> Read more: Cost of toenail removal

Corns and Calluses

Preventing Callus Under Toenail

There are a few ways to prevent corns and calluses from developing on the feet. A callus under toenail can be easily avoided by adopting the following habits:

• Drying and then moisturizing the feet after washing or rinsing them.
• Eliminating thickened, hard skin from the feet and toes with the help of a pumice stone.
• ​Wearing shoes that are comfortable and that fit properly. Such kind of shoes should allow your toes to move freely. Wearing high heels tends to put a lot of pressure in the toe region. So it’s best to avoid such shoes and stick to footwear that’s more comfortable.
• If you’re experiencing any foot pain, it’s better to visit a podiatrist. Finding out the cause of this foot pain is essential in coming up with an effective solution.

Callus Under Toenail Treatment

The first thing to do when you have a callus under toenail is to wear open-toe shoes. Tight or ill-fitted footwear can aggravate the condition. This can cause more discomfort and pain. And we don’t want that now, do we? So let’s start discussing the home remedy for calluses below.

• Betadine is considered to be the most efficient home remedy for treating calluses. You should soak your callus-stricken toe or toes in a bucket of warm water with Betadine. This can be done twice a day for better results.

If you have diabetes, then it’s advisable to consult your doctor before carrying out this procedure.

• When it comes to treating toenail infections and foot problems, the use of antibiotic ointments is essential. All you need to do is place some cotton under the toenail. But before you do this, please apply some ointment on the cotton.

This way the infection found under the toenail drains out. For quicker results, it’s best to replace the cotton on a daily basis. And also make sure that you use the antibiotic ointment consistently.

• You can use chemicals like phenol or sodium hydroxide to get rid of calluses growing under the toenails. Sodium hydroxide is considered to be better than phenol in treating the condition quickly. Other nonsurgical treatment methods include laser or cauterization. What they do is remove the infected skin entirely.

In some severe cases, surgery seems like the only possible way out. This involves the removal of the callus completely. But all possible treatment options need to be exhausted before the doctor recommends surgery.

That’s About It!

This is what you need to know about callus under toenail. So now if you spot one on your foot, you’ll know what to do. Please don’t panic if the discomfort and pain persist even after a few days of treatment. Typically, foot problems take some time to heal. But if you don’t notice any positive outcome, then I would advise you to visit a podiatrist.

What about you? How did you treat corns or calluses developing on your feet?

Please feel free to share your experiences with us here. The more reliable information we have, the better it would be in curing the condition quickly.

You can drop in your comments in the section below. Thank you for reading!

Sources:

1. http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/corns-and-calluses/ingrown-toenails.html

2. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172459.php

3. http://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/corns-and-calluses/