What do corns on the feet look like and how to identify them

Corns are similar to some other skin diseases. Especially in the early stages, some patients think that they are dead skin and will disappear on their own. Diseases need to be detected and treated early to reduce damage, so everyone should understand the symptoms of corns.

What are the early symptoms of corns?

After corns are formed, there will be tenderness symptoms, which may affect the function of the hands and feet and hinder normal walking and hand movements; calluses are often occupational signs, mostly asymptomatic and do not affect function, but severe patients may develop fissures.

Symptoms of corns at different stages

The typical lesion of corns is a clearly defined light yellow or dark yellow conical keratin plug with the tip embedded in the skin, the size of a mung bean or a broad bean. The leather surface is flat or slightly raised. If you use a knife to scrape off the outer layer, you can see a hard keratin plug in the center and a transparent light yellow ring around it that looks like a corn.

It often occurs on the soles of the feet, soles of the feet, outer edges of the little toes, backs of the toes and other places that are prone to friction and compression, but it is not limited to pressure areas. There are usually 1 to 2 cases, but multiple cases may occur. Because the tip of the keratin plug is embedded in the stratum corneum in a wedge shape, its tip presses on the peripheral nerves in the dermis, causing severe pain when standing or walking.

Symptoms of corns:

1. Corns are generally the size of soybeans, with a smooth surface that is flush with the skin or slightly protruding, light yellow or dark yellow in color, shaped like a cone and embedded in the skin, with a flat bottom exposed outside the skin, shaped like a chicken's eye, and the length of the eye is indefinite.

2. Corns can be soft or hard. Soft corns often occur where the toes are connected. This is mostly due to sweating of the feet. The spaces between the toes are softened by moisture for a long time and are grayish white in color with a foul odor. Pressing with the hand will cause increased pain. Hard corns often occur on the soles of the feet, the backs of the toes, and the outside of the little toes, which are prone to squeezing or friction. They are harder in texture and light yellow in color. The pointed tips compress the nerve endings, causing the patient to be unable to walk normally.

3. Corns are conical keratin plugs embedded in the skin. The surface is smooth and flush with the skin surface or slightly raised. The tip of the cone extends into the skin, forming a wedge shape, and the bottom is flat and exposed outside the skin. If the keratin on the surface is scraped off with force, a hard, needle-shaped keratin plug can be seen in the center, with a transparent light yellow ring around it, shaped like a corn.

4. Corns can be hard or soft. Hard corns often occur on the soles of the feet, the outside of the little toes, the back of the toes, and other bony protrusions or places that are easily subjected to pressure and friction. They are round or oval in shape. The surface is flat, hard and light yellow in color, and its tip can reach deep into the papillary layer of the skin. When standing or walking, it often causes severe pain due to compression of the sensory nerve endings in the papillary layer, making it difficult to walk.