Beware of Ugly Calluses and How to Spot them!
Author: Dr. Sophia Stocks, DPM, AACFAS (Board Certified Podiatrist)
Do you wonder why there are calluses or thickened spots of skin under your feet? Do you feel so uncomfortable with it that you need to look for a foot doctor Phoenix based? No matter how much lotion you put on your feet or how much you try to scrub-off the thick skin, the calluses seem to always return.
The scientific name for a callus is a hyperkeratotic lesion-meaning the type of skin cells (keratin) are hyper (growing extra fast) as compared to normal neighboring keratin cells. Each cell has DNA or genetic material deep within that tells the cell how to repair itself, how to function, and how to grow or replicate. When skin cells meet high pressure, this “stress” from the pressure causes the skin cells to replicate and multiply in response to this stress in order to survive. When you have a weakened area in your fence, don’t you want to thicken your defenses or respond to outside forces by layering or reinforcing your walls for further protection? The body’s skin on the feet is very much alive and responsive to your environment. When you have poor shoe gear, fat pad atrophy under your feet, prominent bony protrusions from your anatomy, and various other factors that contribute to high stress and pressure to the lower extremity- this leads to callus formation.
How can we combat these thickened, painful lesions to our feet? The first thing you should do is check your shoe gear. Are you wearing supportive shoes that allow for proper shock absorption? Have you ever considered wearing over-the-counter orthotics to evenly disperse pressure under your feet throughout the bottom aspect of your feet to minimize localized pressure to the bony areas? If your feet are not typical and tend to be either too flat or too high-arched, you might need to go a step further and have a podiatrist align your joints and feet in order to make you a specialized pair of custom orthotics that only you have in the entire world. Custom orthotics can be modified by the physician to offload certain high pressure areas as well as designed to accommodate your arthritis or joints that may not be functioning optimally. If you tend to get calluses on one side of your foot more than the other, it could be due to your foot shape and increased pressure from striking the floor unevenly as you walk. A thorough assessment by your local podiatrist can help target these high pressure areas and create a customized device for your shoes that will allow for better function and weight distribution during walking, running, sports, hiking, and activities to minimize your callus formation as well as protect your feet from unwanted stresses that can lead to stress fractures or foot pain.
Other rare causes of thickened skin under the feet could be due to the growth of viral wart tissue, blocked sweat ducts, cancerous skin lesions, the entrapment of a foreign body deep under the surface, or various other factors that can be discovered by a simple visit to the podiatrist.
The next time you see a callus on the foot, you should wonder what might be the cause of these thickened area of skin? The body is remarkable and continually evolves to accommodate our environmental stresses. Give your feet a good look today and see if you can spot any high-pressure areas. If you feel the need to search on your phone “podiatrist near me”, keep in mind we at Arizona Foot and Wound Specialists can definitely help! Years of experience and our dedicated staff will make sure that nuisance doesn’t last for long, all within a modern and friendly environment.
