If you’re, say, an Olympic gymnast or a dedicated guitarist, you’re probably very proud of your hard-earned calluses. But for the rest of us mere mortals, those hardened layers of skin can be painful and less than pleasant to look at.
“Calluses result from repeated friction, rubbing, pressure, and irritation on the skin,” says Sandy Skotnicki, M.D., a Toronto-based dermatologist and author of Beyond Soap. They form wherever there’s a constant source of friction—mainly the bottom of your foot, on the bony areas that carry your weight, including the ball, the big toe, and the side.
They can also form on the hands of anyone who performs a repeated action where there is constant rubbing, such as grabbing uneven bars, lifting weights, or even doing crafts, gardening, or housework. “Calluses are what your body does to protect you from trauma—it’s like your skin developing armor or a shield,” says Mona Gohara, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine and member of Prevention’s Medical Review Board.
If you notice there is blood or redness inside the callus, it is causing you a great deal of pain, or you have diabetes or poor circulation, make an appointment with your podiatrist or dermatologist to have it evaluated and treated safely.
However, in many mild cases, calluses are not permanent and you can treat them at home with a method Dr. Gohara calls “soak, sand, and smear.”
How to get rid of calluses safely
To stop new calluses from forming and to give your old ones time to heal, add moleskin padding to the areas in your shoes where you feel the most friction, and wear protective gloves when you’re working out or doing household chores that are rough on your hands.
If the callus isn’t bothering you too much, you can just let it soften over time, but consider skipping those high heels or getting refitted for running shoes.
To soften up the skin (and give yourself a relaxing spa experience while you’re at it), soak your feet or hands in sudsy water. You can use any soap you prefer, but Dr. Gohara is a fan of epsom salts, which are anti-inflammatory and also have a bit of grit, which will help with the next step.
After your skin has softened in the water, submerge a pumice stone, emery board, or foot file in water for a few seconds and use it to gently go over the hardened skin. (Be careful not to remove the entire callus, Dr. Skotnicki says, since the area still needs some protection against pressure.) Dr. Gohara says you can even use fine-grain sandpaper, for what she jokingly calls a “Home Depot pedicure.”