Conditions / Skin
Skin problems — corns, calluses & warts
Corns. Cracked heels. A patch of hard skin, or something that’s bothered you since last summer. You’ve probably told yourself it’s not worth mentioning. It is.
There’s no issue too small to bring in — and an early look usually means a simpler path.
“What’s the difference between a corn and a wart?”
A common question, and an easy mix-up. A corn is thickened skin responding to pressure or friction — it follows your normal skin lines and sits wherever a shoe rubs or a bone takes extra load. A wart is viral, often marked by tiny dark pinpoints and a disrupted skin pattern, and it can spread to other spots or people.
They’re treated differently — offloading and careful debridement for a corn, direct treatment of the virus for a wart — so treating one as the other (which happens often with home remedies) can drag things out or make them worse. An accurate diagnosis first means the right treatment the first time, rather than months of guessing.
When it’s worth getting checked: a corn or callus keeps returning despite home care, a wart spreads or bleeds, athlete’s foot doesn’t settle with over-the-counter treatment, or a crack in your heel won’t settle — all reasonable, common reasons to book in, not signs you’ve “left it too long.”
How we can help
- Corns, calluses, warts (verrucas) and cracked heels
- Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) and other fungal skin concerns
- A relaxed, unhurried consultation with sterilised instruments, every visit
- Care available in Arabic, Cantonese, English, Mandarin or Vietnamese
Reviewed by Burwood Podiatry. This page is general information, not a diagnosis — book an assessment for advice about your own feet.