Health Tip: Caring for a Callus

(HealthDay News) -- A callus is an area of thickened skin that has formed because of excess pressure over an extended period. The skin may be tinted yellow or gray, and may feel like a tough bump. Calluses can occur on the hands, fingers, feet and toes.

To treat a callus and help the skin heal faster, the Nemours Foundation recommends soaking the area in warm, soapy water for about 10 minutes. Then, gently scrub the callus with a pumice stone to help remove the dead skin.

You can wear gloves to keep hand calluses from getting worse, the foundation says. For calluses on your feet, protective shoe pads can help relieve pressure on the area, so the callus can heal.

-- Diana Kohnle

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