Calluses traditionally form on areas where constant pressure is being exerted, like the feet. They're your body's way of protecting the skin from damage by creating hardened skin over areas that are used the most often. But when calluses show through in strappy heels or make you feel embarrassed, it's time to smooth them out. By softening the skin before doing some heavy-duty exfoliating, you can reveal softer, smoother skin beneath your calluses.
Step 1
Brew a cup of chamomile tea by dropping a bag in a cup of hot water. Chamomile can help soften the thick skin of a callus, Suzanne M. Levine, D.P.M., clinical assistant podiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital tells MotherNature.com. Fill up a tub of water, pour the cup of tea in and soak your skin for 10 minutes. Do this in the evening before bed so you can moisturize your skin overnight.
Step 2
Pat your skin dry with a towel, and locate the callus. Using a pumice stone, go back and forth in a light scrubbing motion to help remove some of the thickened skin on the callus, suggests the Cleveland Clinic. Never scrub so hard that it causes your foot pain or causes bleeding. Touch the callus with your hand to see if you notice a difference in smoothness, and stop when the callus is gone.
Step 3
Rinse your skin and pat dry once more. Slather the callus in moisturizing cream that contains ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter or vitamin E. Make sure that you place a thick layer of moisturizer over the area where the callus was. This will help to add moisture to the new skin underneath and help soften any hardened bits of skin that you may have missed.
Step 4
Put a pair of socks on over the moisturizer and go to bed, suggests "Cosmopolitan" magazine. If your callus was somewhere else on your body, cover it up with a small piece of plastic wrap. This helps to warm and insulate the moisturizer so it can stay moist and continue to penetrate the skin over night. Remove the socks in the morning and you should experience drastically smoother skin.
Things You'll Need
- Chamomile tea bag
- Cup
- Tub
- Towel
- Pumice stone
- Moisturizer
- Socks or plastic wrap
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