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Corn Removal Surgery, Procedure, Cost, Pain, Recovery Time, Aftercare, Pictures Before & After

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Discover why corn removal surgery is the most effective method of getting rid of corns. Explore the procedure, pain, recovery, care and time for corn removal surgery. Also, acquaint yourself with what to expect before, during and after the surgery.  Furthermore, learn what may influence corn removal surgery cost. The post also presents descriptive before and after corn removal surgery pictures and excellent videos of surgical procedures for removal of corns.

What is a Corn? Signs and Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Removal and Prevention

Let us been by giving a short account on corns. A corn is an area of skin that is hardened and thickened. There are many causes of corns. However, the causes of corns revolve around excessive pressure and friction on the part of your body skin that is affected.

The signs and symptoms of corns include hardened and thickened skin, pain, scaly and translucent area like a pump on skin. An infected corn may also contain pus besides being painful. Corns are usually diagnosed by a podiatrist through physical examination or by use of an X-ray.

There are two main types of corns that you may have: soft corns and hard corns. Soft corns usually form between toes due to undue pressure, friction accompanied by moist conditions between the toes. On the other hand, hard corns are more common on top of toes and on the side of the small toe. Although not common, the other types of corns that may develop on your feet include fibrous corns, vascular corns and seed corns.

Corns usually form on feet, on bottom of foot, on top of foot, on ball of foot and on heels. They are likewise common on toes, top of toes, tip of toes and between toes. Though rarely, corns may also develop on your hands, palms and between your fingers. Corns on the feet or hands can be unsightly, uncomfortable and at times very painful, especially if infected.

There are many ways of getting rid of corns on feet or hands, including surgery. However, the methods you may use to get rid of corns depend on the type, severity and causes of the corns that you have. Similarly, there are various measures you can take to prevent corns from developing or recurring on your skin. The measure you may employ to avoid corns mainly depend on the cause. If the cause of your corns is particularly deformities on your feet, toes, hand or fingers, then the only effect way you can prevent them is through a reconstruction surgery to correct the deformities.

What is Corn Removal Surgery?

How do podiatrist s remove corns? One of the most effective ways of eliminating corns is by corn removal surgery. It refers to a way of getting rid of corns by carrying out a surgical procedure. Usually, the doctor shaves off the hardened thick layer of the corn with a scalpel. Corn removal by surgery is arguably the fasted and most effective way of getting rid of corns permanently.

However, for people who have deformities such as hammer toes, heel spurs, and bunions, the surgery may involve correcting the deformities. In this case, the deformities are the underlying causes of the corns. Consequently, restructuring the deformities is the only sure way of eliminating the corns completely and permanently. Otherwise, the corns will recur if they are just treated without dealing with the underlying causes.

Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that you get rid of corns using methods which do not involve surgery. Usually, surgery is not used to treat corns. However, if the corns are severe, you may have them trimmed by being shaved off by your podiatrist. Furthermore, if the corns are caused by deformities on feet of hands, surgery is the most effective way to remove them and prevent them from coming back.

How to Prepare for Corn Removal Surgery

The best way to ready yourself for a corn removal surgery is to first visit your podiatrist to investigate your corns. This step should always be taken before making an appointment for the actual surgery.  Your podiatrist will use this opportunity to carry out a diagnosis on your problem. He/she will examine you for signs and symptoms of corns to ascertain that your foot condition is due to corns and not any other similar condition like calluses, warts or cysts. Your podiatrist will also let you know whether it is necessary to carry out a corn removal surgery or other methods will be adequate to remove the corns.

Once your doctor confirms that you are suffering from corns, he/she will now be interested in establishing what causes the corns. Typically, your podiatrist may also recommend that you take an X-ray of the area affected by the corns. The X-ray will then be used to determine whether the corns are caused by foot or hand deformities, or other causes. Moreover, the X-ray will give vital information on the nature and severity of the deformities. This will enable your podiatrist to prepare for the surgery accordingly.

If your doctor finds it necessary to carry out a surgery to remove your corns, you will need to furnish him/her with vital information that may include:

  • Whether you have any other ailments or conditions.
  • Whether you are currently on any medication and which one.

The doctor may also advise you to be ready to stop smoking in order to recover from the surgery quickly. The doctor may also give you some other information pertaining to the surgery.  To finalize your preparation for the surgery, you need to arrange an appointment for the surgery.

Corn Removal Surgery Procedure

There various surgery procedures that may be carried out to remove corns. The procedure chosen depends on factors such as the severity of the corns, the location of the corns and, most importantly, the causes of the corns. The surgery procedures that may be performed on you include simple trimming of the corns. Other procedures may involve tendon lengthening and shortening or bone reconstruction to realign wrongly disposed bone structure that encourages the formation of corns on your feet or toes.

1. Trimming

The simplest form of corn removal surgery is the one that does not involve bone restructuring. In this case, the corn itself is trimmed with a scalpel to get rid of it. It may not be necessary to trim soft corns between toes since they can easily the treated using home remedies. However, there are cases that are extreme to an extent that surgery is essential. In such cases, the skin damage is so severe and the most effective way to get rid of the corn is by shaving off the damaged skin.

Similarly, some hard corns may become deep rooted and too thickened. It may not be very practical to remove such corns using home remedies as it may take forever for them to be completely healed. Therefore, they can best the removed by a small surgery. In this procedure, your doctor will make a small incision into the affected area to remove the corn. Seed corns and fibrous corns may also be removed by incision if they are too serious to be easily treated by home remedies.

2. Tendon Shortening and Lengthening

In some cases, where your toes may be awkwardly disposed in a way that encourages corn development, your doctor may carry out a surgery that entails lengthening or shortening your tendons. All these are aimed at restoring a normal disposition of your toes to prevent the formation of corns.

If your toes are curled, resulting in hammer toes, claw toes or mallet toes, the surgery involves releasing the tendons under your toes. This procedure makes the tendons under the toes effectively longer. This way, the toes become straightened, avoiding the pressure and friction experienced when they are bent upwards. This is especially aimed at preventing the formation of corns on top of toes and on the tip of the toes.

If some of your toes experience pressure and friction from your footwear because they are too long, the surgery is aimed at shortening your toe tendons, which in turn effectively shorten the toes. This procedure is intended to get rid and prevent corns that form at the tip of some of your toes that may be too long.

3. Bone reconstruction

Deformities in the bone structure may also be a reason why corns form on your feet, toes or heel. Bone deformities that may result in the formation of corns include bunions and bone spurs, particularly heel spurs.  A bunion may cause corns on the side of the big toe while a heel spur might cause corns on your heel. Bone deformities may also lead to hammer toes, claw toes or mallet toes, all of which are associated with the formation of corns on toes.

Where there are deformities that affect the bone structure, corn removal surgery is performed to reconstruct and realign the bones. The process may include procedures called arthroplasty and arthrodesis. Arthroplasty refers to the surgery procedure intended to reconstruct joints while arthrodesis refers to surgery procedure aimed at fusing joints to immobilize them.

During bone reconstruction surgery, incisions are made into the affected areas. Besides, bones are cut, ligaments are loosened or tightened, and tendons are shortened or lengthened. All this is done in order to make the disposition of the parts affected normal and realigned hence get rid and prevent the formation of corns.

Corn Removal Surgery on Bottom, Top or Ball of foot

Corns that form on bottom of foot, especially on the ball of foot are usually caused by walking barefoot or putting on worn out shoes. Those that are found on top of foot are mainly due to tight -fitting shoes. Therefore, a simple surgery that involves trimming by shaving with a scalpel is usually adequate to remove them. Nevertheless, preventive measures should be taken after the surgery to avoid recurrence.

However, corns on these locations may also be caused by foot deformities. Therefore, it may be necessary for your podiatrist to examine them and establish the cause. This will enable the podiatrist to take the right step to cure your foot corns permanently. In case the cause is foot deformities, a reconstruction and realignment surgery may be indispensable for a long-lasting solution to your corns.

Corn Removal Surgery on Heel

The common cause of corns on the heel or back of foot is heel spurs. This calls for a bone removal and reconstruction surgery to get rid of the heel spur.  This will establish a permanent solution to the corns on your heel.

Surgery for Removal of Corns between Toes

Corns located between the toes (inter-digital Corns), especially between the 4th and 5th toe, are normally caused by pressure, friction and moist condition between the toes. Therefore, the surgery may not be complex as such as it will not involve reconstruction of bone structures. Rather, the surgery involves shaving off the soft corn tissues and taking measures to prevent the development of the corns again.

Surgery for Removal Corns on Toe, on Pinky Toe, Big toe

The corns located on the toes, especially the pinky toe (small toe) and the big toe, are often caused by wearing ill-fitting shoes, particularly the one which are narrow toward the front part. Simple surgery may be carried out to trim the corns, followed by measures to prevent them (properly fitting shoes). However, corns on the side of the big toe may be as a result of deformities, especially a bunion. In this case, a reconstruction surgery is necessary to cure the corns once and for all.

Surgery for Removal of Corns on Top of Toes or Tip of Toe

Corns on tip of toes (apical corns) and those on top of toes (dorsal corns) are usually caused by foot deformities such as hammer toes, claw toes and mallet toes. They may also be caused by some of your toes being too long. The surgery carried out to get rid of such corns is aimed at restructuring the toes to make them to be disposed in a normal way. This surgery is essential in getting a permanent solution not only to the corns but also to the pain and discomfort caused by corns.

Corn Removal Surgery Pain – Does It Hurt?

Does corn removal surgery hurt? The intensity of pain during surgery to remove corns varies from one case to another. It depends on how deeply rooted the corn is and its exact location on the feet or hands. In other words, it really depends on the type of corn. Furthermore, the degree of corn removal surgery pain may also be determined by the exact procedure that is performed.

Usually, the podiatrist may not need to use an anesthetic drug on the area if the surgery involve simple trimming of the dead hardened and thickened skin of the corn. The pain entailed in such a simple procedure is little, at times almost no pain at all, and hence may be bearable.

However, if the procedure involves cutting and realigning bones, tendons and ligaments, the pain may be a little more severe. Certainly, your doctor will not let you experience all this pain – it will certainly be unbearable. Your podiatrist will apply a local anesthesia to render the area undergoing surgery insensitive to pain before carrying out the surgery. As a result, there will be no pain during the surgery. So do not be worried or scared about how much pain you may experience during the surgery. However you may have mild discomfort when the anesthetic wears off, but you can take painkillers to relieve it.

Corn removal surgery may not require the use of a general anesthesia, as it only involves a localized area that is affected by corns. This is due to the fact that a local anesthesia is generally safer than a general anesthesia. Therefore, whenever possible, local anesthesia is always preferred to general anesthesia for pain and distress relief during surgery and other distressful and painful medical procedures.

Corn Removal Surgery Risks and Side Effect

There are rare complications before, during after the corn removal surgery. However, some of the risks and side effects of the surgery may include:

  1. Excessive swelling: You may have serious swelling after the surgery. The extent of your swelling may depend on the nature of your body. Some people are naturally predisposed to serious swelling when their bodies get even a small injury. Besides, the extent of swelling may be influenced by the seriousness of the surgery. However, you will get relieved from the swelling with time and by taking appropriate medications.
  2. Delayed healing: Your healing may delay due to the nature and ability of your body to recover. However, most delayed recoveries are caused by poor after-care practices that disturb the healing process or even cause your operated foot to get infected.
  3. Recurrence of corns: Sadly, your corns may recur. This is especially because the surgery you underwent did not address the deformities adequately. It would be unfortunate, painful and expensive for you to have the procedure repeated. So, care should be taken to ensure that the process is effective and sufficient.
  4. Limp toe: This will be a temporary condition that will vanish after a few weeks.

Corn Removal Surgery After-Care

Recovery from the surgery mainly depends on after-care measures. You will need to avoid using the affected foot after surgery. Normally, you will be required to keep the affected foot above your heart for about 3 days to minimize discomfort. Furthermore, take your painkillers consistently and periodically, or as advised by your podiatrist.

One week after surgery, you can use the affected foot but you should limit the use of the foot for about 3 more weeks to allow the recovery process take place faster. You are advised not to walk barefoot during the recovery period. Instead, you are expected to wear surgical sandals during this period or until the swelling in your foot is relieved. Failure to use sandals during the recovery period may lead to infections on the surgery area, more swelling and hence delayed healing of your foot.

Also, keep the surgery site clean and dry throughout. If possible, do not bathe the area until the stitches are removed and the healing process is in a sufficient stage. This way, you will further minimize post operation infection in the area, which may further delay the healing process.

Corn Removal Surgery Recovery Process and Time

You may experience mild pain or discomfort for about 2 to 3 days after surgery. During this time, you are reminded to take pain killers which will be provided by your podiatrist, to significantly reduce the pain and discomfort.

The surgical stitches will need to be removed after about two weeks. You will need to see your podiatrist again to remove the stitches. To facilitate this, you need to have made an appointment for the removal of the stitches during the surgery.

It will take about 3 to 4 weeks for you to recover from the surgery completely and resume your normal duties. However, if only simple trimming of the corn is carried out, the time taken for complete recovery will significantly be reduced. Similarly, if the surgery is very complicated, it may take up to six weeks to completely heal.

Corn Removal Surgery Before and After Pictures

These images illustrate the corns and deformities before surgery and their appearance after surgery. We hope that they will encourage you to follow suit and deal with your corns or the underlying foot deformities that cause them the soonest.

Corn Removal Surgery Cost

When you want to have your corns removed by surgery, the cost of carrying out the surgery comes into play. The cost of corn removal surgery may be influenced by a number of factors:

Complexity of the surgery: Clearly, how complex your surgery is will influence the equipment, skill and time required to perform it. While some patients will require a simple surgery like shaving to remove their corns, others may need to undergo complex bone removal and reconstruction during the surgery. In summary, the more complex the surgery procedure the higher the cost of the surgery.

Medical insurance: Most surgeries, including toe and corn removal surgery, are in included in your medical cover by most insurance companies. So, if you have a medical cover, it may significantly reduce the cost of your surgery or even make it ‘free’ (the medical cover absolutely caters for the surgery). So, before making a decision on which clinic or doctor will carry out the surgery, make wide consultation to find out whether you can reduce the cost of surgery through your medical cover.

Choice of clinic: The cost of the surgery may vary from one clinic to another. Generally, those clinics that are specialized for feet healthcare are cheaper that general clinics. Also, it may be prudent to check and ask around for clinics that offer quality services at affordable costs before settling on a particular clinic.

On average, the consultation fee for the for corn examination and diagnosis ranges between $45 and $155. The cost for the actual corn removal surgery should fall between $500 and $3000. However, the exact cost for a particular case will depend on the factors outlined above.

Corn Removal Surgery Videos

The video clips below depict typical corn removal surgery procedures.

Lastly, we believe that you have benefited a great deal from this post. However, you may still have a question, comment, concern or a suggestion that may be informative and beneficial to us. Kindly feel free to express your sentiments in our comment section below.

Sources and References

[showhide type=”links” more_text=”Show Sources and References” less_text=”Hide Sources and References”]

  1. Corn Removal Surgery Cost & Before and After Pictures, Reviews: http://www.beautyzion.com/corns/corn-removal-surgery-costs-procedure-before-and-after/
  2. Surgery For Removal of Stubborn Corns: http://www.footmed.com.au/surgery-for-removal-of-stubborn-corns/
  3. Your corn surgery questions answered: http://www.cornsurgery.com/
  4. Corn Removal Foot Surgeon Upper East Side NYC: http://www.footsurgerycenternyc.com/corns-removal-surgery-upper-east-side
  5. Corn Removal Surgery in Johannesburg: https://www.health-tourism.com/corn-removal-surgery/south-africa-c-johannesburg/ [/showhide]

Posted Comments [2]

  1. This was great! I went through this entire process so it’s great that this article was detailed and pretty much explained my experience.

    Reply

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