Dawaa Reference

chronic

Corn and Callus

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries: Corns and calluses 2021 · Salactol Collodion (salicylic acid 16.7% + lactic acid 16.7%) SmPC sections 4.2-4.3 (eMC product 3766) · No labelled dose - a procedure, not a medicine

Verified against3 documents
  • Salactol Collodion (salicylic acid 16.7% + lactic acid 16.7%) SmPC sections 4.2-4.3 (eMC product 3766)
  • No labelled dose - a procedure, not a medicine
  • Corns - disease-level clinical article (corn-and-callus-clinical.txt)

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (3)

  • Corns hurt with walking or standing but are painless to touch
  • Thickening keratin buildup can cause severe pain with ambulation
  • Interdigital soft corns can macerate and become secondarily infected or ulcerated

Signs — what you find (6)

  • A flesh-colored, hard papule with a whitish core overlying a bony prominence [papules]
  • Hard corns typically sit on the lateral/dorsal fifth toe or over the lesser toe joints
  • Soft corns occur in the web spaces between toes, especially the fourth
  • Perpendicular pressure on a plantar corn reproduces pain by contacting the underlying bone, unlike a wart
  • No pinpoint bleeding (Auspitz sign) appears after paring a corn, unlike a wart
  • Normal plantar skin lines remain visible through a corn, unlike a wart

Tests (4)

  • Dermoscopy shows hyperkeratosis without the vascular or hemorrhagic dots seen in warts
  • Foot x-rays can show the bony prominence contributing to corn formation
  • Plantar pressure studies can localize areas of excess pressure causing the corn
  • Fasting glucose or rheumatoid factor may be checked to find an underlying cause of foot deformity

If not this — what else fits (5)

  • Plantar wart is the key differential, distinguished by intact skin lines and a positive Auspitz sign after paring
  • Poroma is on the differential list
  • Gout and pseudogout are included in the differential
  • Interdigital neuroma is a differential, particularly for web-space lesions
  • Palmoplantar keratoderma is on the differential list

SourceStatPearls "Corns" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

SALICYLIC ACID

1st line

Formtopical

Adult dose and duration

Apply a salicylic acid 12.6% to 40% solution or self-adhesive pad directly onto the corn or callus once daily, usually at night, after soaking the foot in warm water and paring dead skin with a pumice stone - Up to 12 weeks

Paediatric dose

For adults, children and the elderly. Apply once daily usually at night.

Dose source

Corns - disease-level clinical article (corn-and-callus-clinical.txt) for the strength range: "Topical keratolytic medications may be applied to the corns, including salicylic acid 12.6% to 40% as a pad or a solution." The Salactol Collodion SmPC (salicylic acid 16.7% with lactic acid 16.7%, eMC product 3766) is the held Egyptian-market example and supplies the method: "Salactol should be applied once daily usually at night. It can take up to twelve (12) weeks for resistant lesions to disappear".

Why

Keratolytic that softens and breaks down the thickened keratin of a corn or callus, allowing the hardened skin to be pared away; avoided where circulation or sensation is impaired because it can cause tissue damage in that setting.

Cautions
  • Strictly contraindicated in diabetic patients, peripheral vascular disease, or peripheral neuropathy due to risk of tissue necrosis and foot ulceration.
  • Protect surrounding normal skin with petroleum jelly or zinc oxide ointment prior to application.
  • Do not apply on broken, inflamed, or infected skin.
  • Collodion is flammable - no smoking or naked flame until it has dried.
Egyptian brands
Egyptian brandManufacturerIndicative price
SALICYLIC ACID COLLODION 12% PAINT B.P.2001? different route - not topicalUNIPHARMA CO. > UNIPHARMA3.00 EGP
SALICYLIC ACID SOAP (WEISER) 45 GM? different route - not topicalWEISER15.00 EGP
2

REFERRAL & SAFETY-NETTING (NO DRUG THERAPY)

1st line
Dose source

Corns - disease-level clinical article (corn-and-callus-clinical.txt)

Why

Carries the referral criteria and warning signs for this condition, which apply whichever treatment is chosen.

Cautions
  • RED FLAG - Patients with peripheral neuropathy / diabetes should avoid self-application of salicylic acid plasters due to risk of skin sloughing and ulceration.
3

MECHANICAL DEBRIDEMENT AND PRESSURE OFFLOADING

add-on - not a substitute
Adult dose and duration

Soak affected area in warm water for 10-15 minutes, gently rub hyperkeratotic tissue with pumice stone or foot file, and apply felt doughnut pads around lesion - Ongoing / 2-4 weeks

Paediatric dose

Ensure children wear properly fitted shoes with wide toe boxes

Dose source

No labelled dose - a procedure, not a medicine

Why

Offloading pressure and replacing ill-fitting shoes is necessary to prevent recurrence even after chemical keratolysis

Cautions
  • Never use razor blades or sharp knives for self-trimming at home.
  • Refer diabetic patients directly to a podiatrist or diabetic foot clinic for professional care.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.