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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women: Calluses

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Calluses

Calluses

Smooth and Soothe Hands

Any woman who has ever raked leaves without wearing gloves, only to awaken the next morning with painful blisters on the palms of her hands, knows why the body produces calluses.

In a word: protection. If you rake a few leaves a day for a week, your skin would toughen, forming a thick layer that we call a callus, which allows you to do many things that were at first painful on sensitive skin, says Loretta Davis, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine in Augusta. Without a callus, pressure and friction irritate your skin, and you end up with a blister.

"Calluses are functional and, ideally, should be left alone," says Dr. Davis. "Women shouldn't worry about how calluses look, but they do."

SOFTENING TACTICS

If a callus becomes annoying, overly large or too tough, it can be improved, says Dr. Davis. Here are some tips.

Look for lactic acid or urea. Dr. Davis suggests that women soften hard or rough calluses with a moisturizing cream with lactic acid or urea. "Moisturizers with alpha hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid (from sugarcane) or lactic acid (from milk) are also effective and easy to find--every major cosmetic line has hand creams that contain them. Alpha hydroxy acids and urea are especially good for dry skin," she says.

Soak, then moisturize. Some women soak callused areas in water first and then apply the moisturizer, says Dr. Davis. "If you do this frequently, the callus begins to soften."

File gently. When you shower, carefully rub the callused area with a pumice stone marketed by hand-care product companies as nail stones, suggests Dr. Davis. "Never use these tools without water, or you could damage your skin." Make this part of your daily shower routine.

Don't forget your gloves. To prevent calluses in the first place, Dr. Davis recommends wearing an appropriate sports glove for sporting activities, putting moisturizer on under the gloves to minimize friction. It's also a good idea to wear cotton gloves when doing yard work or gardening.

(For practical ways to manage calluses on your feet, see page 145.)

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