Calluses are hard, thickened areas of skin that are often not painful and require no treatment. Pressure or friction due to rubbing from socks and shoes or bunions may cause of calluses. It is easy to tell if you have a callus by the appearance of hard, thickened skin on your foot. Other symptoms of calluses may include:

• Pain
• Yellowish or gray appearance of skin

To prevent calluses, wear well-fitted shoes. If calluses become painful you might want to invest in thicker sole inserts for shoes. This will cushion the foot while walking and alleviate pressure on the sole of the foot. Home treatment includes soaking the foot in warm water to soften the callus and gently using a pumice stone to slough off dead skin. Take great care if you opt to use this method. Rubbing too rough with the pumice stone may cause the callus to bleed and an infection can develop. Under no circumstances should you try to cut the callus off by yourself. Improper techniques can result in cuts and bacterial infection. If the callus pain is persistent, visit the doctor for proper callus removal. If painful calluses remain untreated other conditions like bursitis, blisters, bone infections, or bacterial infection of the joint can occur.