There are a range of skin and nail conditions that the podiatrists at Base Podiatry are the primary foot health practitioners. We take pride in maintaining your ongoing foot care to ensure you keep fit, active and healthy.
CORNS AND CALLOUS – Areas of friction and pressure
Callous and corns are different forms of thickened dry skin that occur due to friction or direct pressure. They both often signs of issues like poor foot mechanics, tight shoes and joint abnormalities.Corns are a pebble like mass of hard skin that are generally caused by direct pressure. Tight footwear, bony prominences and clawed toes are common causes. Commonly found in between toes, on the toe joints or under the ball of the foot (directly under a metatarsal head).
Callous is the hard dry skin formed by friction from shoes or the way your foot functions. Dry cracked heels and callous under the balls of the foot are common and can be treated effectively by the podiatrist.
We are highly skilled at removing the deep core of a corn and friction callous. Strategies to reduce the pressure over the callous and/or corn are advised to help prevent them from reoccurring. Corns and callous can return if the pressure continues. This may require a regular foot care appointment to maintain your foot health.
PLANTAR WARTS- Also known as Pappilloma or Verrucae
Plantar warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). This causes a raised corn like lump on the surface of the foot that is can be very tender to touch. Plantar warts can be generally differentiated from a pressure callous or corn by the “squeeze” test. It is more common for plantar warts to be tender when squeezed rather that from direct pressure.
Our Podiatrists can advise on the most appropriate treatment for your plantar wart. Multiple warts on one or both feet can be treated effectively by a form of needling to promote the body’s own immune system to fight off the virus. Other treatments can involve the use of cryotherapy or acids to burn through the layers of the wart tissue.
We can provide advice on which treatment would be suitable for you or your child.
FUNGAL NAILS- Thickened and Discoloured Nails
Toe nail fungus (or nail rot) is caused by a type of tinea that can infect nails. A common reason why nails become infected is from trauma which creates an area for the fungus to opportunistically enter. The first thing to differentiate is if the thickened nail is due to trauma, fungal infection or a combination of both.
Treatment can consist of topical ointments applied daily/weekly, thorough debridement and reduction of the infected nail and in certain cases oral medication. Any form of topical or oral medication needs to be used diligently and for 6-12 months as the new healthy nail grows.
