Symptoms

You can tell you have a callus or corn by its appearance. A callus is hard, dry, and thick and may appear grayish or yellowish. It may be less sensitive to your touch than surrounding skin, and it may feel bumpy. A hard corn is also firm and thick. It may have a soft yellow ring with a gray center. A soft corn looks like an open sore.

Although calluses and corns often are not painful, they can cause pain while you are walking or wearing shoes, and they may make it hard for your feet to fit in your shoes. Pressing or squeezing the callus or corn may also cause pain.

See pictures of calluses and hard and soft corns.

A callus or corn may be confused with a wart. Warts are generally tender and painful when pinched side to side, whereas calluses and corns can be painful when pressing directly on them. See pictures of types of warts similar to calluses and corns. For more information, see the topic Warts and Plantar Warts.

Other conditions that can look like a callus or a corn include:

• An object in the skin, such as a sliver.
• Inflammation of the lining of the joint at the end of the metatarsal bone (synovitis).
• A pinched nerve between toes (Morton's neuroma).
• Hardened areas of skin due to genetics.