Corns are well known vegetables; however, on the foot, they are thick lesions that form on the top of the toe joints. In the foot and ankle community, they are also known as hyperkeratotic lesions and they form from pressure to the surface of bony prominences, especially on the toes. They can be painful as well as form abscesses if they are exposed to prolonged pressures from shoes.
Many people will purchase corn pads to help relieve pressure from the area and also attempt to reduce the lesion from the active ingredient, salicylic acid. For clarification, there are two types of corns- medicated and non-medicated. Medicated corn pads have an ingredient which is salicylic acid. The mechanism of salicylic acid is the break down the thick tissue. Basically, it causes a burn. When a burn occurs, it can lead to an infection. Once this occurs, most people will call the foot doctor.
Recently, I noticed on our schedule here in Howell that a new patient was coming to the office with an “infected toe from a corn pad.” I thought this was quite interesting because it is the summer and patients will try to “cheat” and use corn pads to get rid of the problem.
So, the patient comes into the office and he is diabetic and most diabetics have some loss of sensation in their lower extremities. Low and behold, this patient had no feeling in his feet. On top of that, the patient had a hot, red, swollen toe. It appeared to be a burn. He still had some thickened tissue on the fifth toe; so, I debrided or trimmed the lesion and an eruption of yellow, foul smelling puss came out of the toe. I took an x-ray and the bone was missing. I asked the patient, “How long have you used the corn pad?” He says, “For three weeks.” I proceeded to tell him that he had a severe infection and his toe needed to be amputated. The amputation was performed and he healed uneventfully.
The moral of this story is that medicated corn pads are not safe for some patients, especially diabetics, and they should not be used for long periods of time. If the corn is thick, patients should be seen by a podiatrist to see if the pressure is caused by a bony prominence. Medicated corn pads cause burns and in mild cases, patients are treated for burns and in severe cases, patients are treated for infection. If there is an urgency to use a pad, use a non-medicated corn pad. These are safer.
Corn pads are not used for the picnic nor for your feet…
By Dr. Jasen Langley
Ingrown nails can be a painful condition that cause an infection and provide a situation where the patient cannot where shoes. This nail condition is usually caused when the width of the nail grows wider than its borders. As the nail grows, it can cut into the sides of the borders and sometimes, the patient will try to cut the nail. The skin can get cut due to this “bathroom” surgery if it is performed. 
