It’s important to understand the difference between corns and calluses.
Corns and calluses are layers of skin which have become thick and hardened as a reaction to friction, pressure, and other forms of wear. Most commonly found on the feet and hands, both conditions normally serve to protect your skin against injury.
Despite their shared traits, corns and calluses are different:
- Calluses are generally painless and occur most commonly on the base of the foot, especially on areas which see both pressure and friction, i.e. the heels and balls of the foot. They are the larger of the two.
- Corns are smaller patches of hardened skin with a distinct hard center. Usually surrounded by inflammation, corns can be uncomfortable under normal circumstances and hurt when pressure is applied. Unlike calluses, corns usually form on parts of your foot or ankle which are not load bearing, though they can technically form anywhere.

