Body & Mind
MEAN FEET
C
Marcel Wadman, Podiatrist and Practitioner, 56 London Road Clinic
orns and verrucas are very common and most of us will get one or more of these seemingly small conditions during our lifetime. They affect both male and female patients alike and may exist alone or together. So let’s start at the basics. The corn is a small clearly defined hard plug of skin often found on the weight bearing areas of the foot. They are painful on weight bearing and when direct pressure is applied. If the corn has been present for a long time, it may be covered by an area of hard skin that we call a “callus”. Contrary to common belief, they do not grow into the foot but are caused by skin that is compacted. Our skin is made up of various layers and is constantly growing from the base layer to the top. This occurs on average over a 30-70 day period. Small areas of pressure accelerate this and tissues retain their adhesive properties that are usually lost in their journey to the top layer of the skin called the epidermis. And so skin is constantly produced at this area and not lost, leading to a hard core of skin, bottom to the top, a corn! They can be very painful and will remain until removed and the source of pressure removed. “What causes pressure?” I hear you say. Well, it can be damage to the lining of a shoe or a prominent bone on a hard surface, anything that can cause a finite area of pressure and friction to the skin of the foot.
64 | Sherborne Times | September 2016
Corns can be found on the top or base of the foot and even between the toes, most often between the little toe and its neighbour. A chiropodist should be able to remove the corn with minimum discomfort. If your corn is reoccurring, then it is most likely that too much time is lapsing between debridement. Any remaining corn, or reoccurring corn is causing sufficient pressure for the cycle to continue. As for the verruca, this is often confused with the corn but it is quite different. This is caused not by pressure or friction but by a viral infection of the human papilloma virus (HPV) and will on occasions and in some individuals, resolve without treatment. Like a corn the verruca can also be very painful. If it is squeezed and if cut, can bleed for a considerable time. The duration and number of verrucas one has can be directly related to the state of one’s immune system and any large number that have been present for some time should be investigated. Treatment is via Cryo surgery (freezing) chemicals applied to the verruca only and more recently laser. Verrucas do not have overlying hard skin but project above the line of the epidermis. Verrucas can be present in various forms. They can be singular or multiple or multiple tightly packed individual verrucas and as most people know, verrucas can be contagious. www.56londonroad.co.uk