The article was prepared by a specialist for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor.
Water callus
often appears on the feet in places where the skin is rubbed by shoes. First, a person experiences a certain discomfort and a burning sensation, and then pain. If excess pressure is not eliminated, a callus will certainly form. To prevent the development of serious complications, it must be treated correctly. It is necessary to start therapy immediately after the discovery of a callus.
People call water callus “dropsy.” Most often it forms on the feet, palms and fingers. With proper therapy and proper care, the callus heals quickly and does not leave any marks on the skin.
How does a water callus form?
A callus forms where excess pressure and friction are applied to the skin. The most common reason that leads to the formation of calluses is wearing tight or ill-fitting shoes.
A water callus is accompanied by the appearance of a blister that is filled with fluid. The mechanism of its formation is simple. When friction is applied to the skin and soft tissues, they begin to separate. The top layer of the epidermis comes off first. Exudate begins to flow into the resulting space. It consists of blood, intercellular fluid, and plasma. Leukocytes contained in the blood destroy all pathogenic flora and prevent microbes from multiplying. The plasma, in turn, prevents further erasure of the dermis.
Water blisters hurt, cause a person to experience discomfort, and worsen their quality of life. To prevent infection from getting into the callus, it is necessary to begin treatment as early as possible.
Forecast
A blister with liquid inside does not pose a threat in itself, but if it was accidentally injured, infection cannot be ruled out.
That is why it is considered safer to independently carefully extract liquid from a wet callus than to accidentally damage the integrity of the formation.
Piercing the callus is allowed only if it is very large. It is not recommended to touch small ones, since they heal quite quickly on their own, without outside intervention.
Symptoms of water callus
When rubbing a certain area of the skin for a short time, redness appears on it. The dermis swells and hurts. The next stage of callus formation is the appearance of a bubble. You can see liquid inside it. During this period, the pain will be as intense as possible. Any touch to the bladder causes it to tense, which increases the discomfort.
The rupture of the bubble can occur as a result of a mechanical impact on it, for example, if it is hit or pressed hard. In addition, if the source of friction is not eliminated, this will also lead to rupture of the blister walls. Liquid will begin to flow out of the resulting hole. If it happens that the walls of the bladder are torn off, then a weeping red wound can be seen on the skin.
The resulting crack can become infected. The likelihood of bacterial inflammation increases if the walls of the bladder are completely torn off.
In this case, the symptoms of water callus become as follows:
- The skin around the callus turns red.
- Pain occurs even when the callus is at rest and there is no pressure on it.
- The liquid that is in the cavity of the bubble becomes cloudy in color.
- Yellowish crusts appear around the callus.
- Pus may ooze from the wound.
- Sometimes there is not only a local, but also a general increase in body temperature.
Most often, calluses are affected by staphylococci and streptococci.
What kind of liquid is inside?
Many people mistakenly believe that the tumors inside are filled with water. But everything is completely different. The formation contains the so-called lymphatic fluid, which is also called tissue fluid.
It deserves this name for the reason that it surrounds every cell of tissue in the human body. It contains many nutrients that enter through the circulatory system, which in turn also rids the lymph of waste products. The process of lymphatic formation involves complex water compounds and other elements that come with the blood.
The release of water from damaged areas indicates that the dropsy has ruptured due to some mechanical impact exerted on it. This mainly happens due to strong compression, shock or prolonged friction. Circulation in the body of a watery yellow substance occurs in all its tissues. It cleanses it of bacteria, excess fats and other unnecessary compounds. And then they are filtered in the lymphatic system. It consists of leukocytes, or lymphocytes as they are also called, and also contains proteins and red blood cells (in small concentrations).
Causes of water callus
The following reasons can lead to the appearance of water blisters:
- Wearing uncomfortable shoes that pinch your feet, or, on the contrary, are too wide. Calluses often appear after purchasing a new pair.
- Wearing shoes with a hard back. In this case, a callus will appear on the heel.
- Wearing socks with holes or other similar products. There is always excess friction at the site of the breakthrough, which will lead to the formation of a callus.
- Wearing high heels. In this case, the entire center of gravity will be shifted to the forefoot. Uneven distribution of the load will lead to calluses beginning to appear on the toes.
If the skin and soft tissues experience excessive pressure or excessive friction, a callus will always form on them. This is a natural reaction of the body that is aimed at protecting the skin from further damage.
Prevention
You will not be able to remove the callus instantly. You'll have to wait at least a few days. What if you have an important event coming up during this period? That is why you should try your best to avoid calluses. You can do this as follows:
- Prevent sweaty feet or hands. For these purposes, various deodorants or regular talc are used.
- Do not wear shoes that cause a callus until it heals.
- Lubricate rough seams or skin in areas of friction with chapstick. This will help delay the appearance of calluses for a while.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Avoid wearing new sandals when you need to be on your feet all day.
- Closed shoes should be worn with socks.
If you are not sure how you will react to new shoes, then it is better to stick a regular patch or special silicone pads on possible friction points.
Treatment of water callus
Some experts are of the opinion that it is impossible to pierce the callus, others argue that it can be done, but carefully. However, all doctors agree that large wet calluses must be pierced. If you perform this procedure correctly, you can avoid complications and speed up the healing process. The fact is that large wet calluses will eventually burst on their own. At the same time, it will be more difficult to insure against infection entering the wound.
To cure water callus, you can contact a specialist. If you have decided to treat the callus at home, then you must follow the rules of antiseptics. This will protect the callus from purulent inflammation. The puncture should be done on the first day of the formation of the bubble.
How to properly pierce a callus?
To pierce a water callus yourself without introducing an infection into it, you need to follow these recommendations:
- The callus and the skin around it should be treated with brilliant green or iodine.
- You need to puncture with a needle. To sterilize it, you need to soak the instrument in alcohol or heat it over a gas burner.
- The callus needs to be pierced in several places, along the edges. This will allow the serous exudate to flow out of the bladder evenly. In this case, the skin itself will remain almost intact and will reliably cover the wound, protecting it from infection. You should not puncture the top of the callus.
- After the puncture is completed, it is necessary to apply gauze or a sterile bandage to it. This must be done to ensure that the liquid does not spread over the leg, but is absorbed into the fabric.
- The next step is to treat the callus with an ointment with an antibacterial effect. Then it is covered with a bandage or sealed with a plaster.
- The bandage needs to be changed at least 2 times every 24 hours. It must be removed during the night's rest.
Sometimes it happens that a person does not have time to pierce the callus, and it ruptures on its own. If such a situation occurs, then the callus must be cleaned of contaminants and thoroughly disinfected. Then the wound is covered with a sterile bandage, which is fixed with an adhesive plaster.
If a water callus appears in a person suffering from diabetes or hypotension, then you should consult a doctor for advice. Self-removal of calluses in such patients can lead to serious complications. The skin will also take longer to recover.
Medicines
When the blister covering the callus is not very large in size, you can deal with it without first piercing it. For treatment, you can use special medications, patches or ointments.
To prevent the callus from being injured, it must be covered with a band-aid. It’s good if the skin of the blister remains intact. In this case, it will heal faster. Before applying this or that drug to the callus, the skin of the feet should be washed well with soap and dry.
Medicines that can quickly cope with water callus include:
- Levomekol ointment, which not only perfectly disinfects damaged surfaces, but also accelerates tissue regeneration. The ointment is applied to the callus, after which it is covered with a bandage and secured with a band-aid. It needs to be changed every day.
- Salicylic ointment, which helps reduce pain, eliminate inflammation and destroy pathogenic flora. The ointment is applied to the callus before bed, and the feet are washed in the morning.
- Compeed patch for the treatment of water calluses. This patch has a special impregnation, which allows you to quickly disinfect the surface of the callus and dry the blister.
Folk remedies
At home, you can try the following alternative medicine recipes:
- Will heal watery callus and coniferous resin. Before securing it, the legs are steamed in a soap and soda bath. The compress with resin is kept for a day, after which the legs are steamed again and the procedure is repeated. Two days are enough for the callus to completely disappear.
- A plantain leaf, crushed in any way to a pulp, is applied to the callus and fixed.
- An ordinary egg film from under the shell will relieve pain and burning, and also help get rid of calluses quickly. It is applied with the wet side to the painful area and dries on it.
- Apply the pulp of aloe or Kalanchoe to the callus and secure this natural compress with a bandage. The dressing is changed once a day, each change is accompanied by treating the affected area with an antiseptic. The procedure is repeated until the callus is completely healed.
In general, therapy is aimed at softening the tissue. It will allow you to easily remove watery calluses. The keratolytic properties of the substances have a softening effect on the tissue of the bladder wall. Handy tools will help in removal.
What is prohibited to do
When a growth appears, it is strictly forbidden to pierce it yourself. This is explained by the fact that it is possible to introduce an infection into the wound, which will negatively affect the treatment process.
Treatment of a burst callus
If the neoplasm has burst, then it is recommended to clean it of contamination. For this purpose, the wound is washed in warm water and soap.
If there is dirt under the skin, it is recommended to remove it without fail.
Next, the wound is treated with an antiseptic solution, which should not contain alcohol. After this, medicine and a sterile bandage are applied to the wound.
First aid
When a growth appears, patients often experience severe pain. In this case, he is recommended to provide first aid. The patient should get rid of tight shoes.
How to treat a wet callus, watch this video:
If this cannot be done, then it is recommended to apply a sterile bandage or plaster to the site of the growth.
Patch
On the modern pharmacological market there is a huge number of patches with which you can effectively treat calluses. Application is carried out:
- Silkoplast. It belongs to the category of anti-callus patches and is characterized by fast action. It contains special antibacterial and softening substances, with the help of which the growth is safely removed in the shortest possible time.
- Sholl. The patch is used to treat wet tumors, regardless of their size. With the help of this product, pain relief and effective growth therapy are ensured.
- Compeed. Due to the universal composition of the drug, it is characterized by the presence of universal wound healing properties. The medicine also has an antibacterial effect, which eliminates the possibility of infection.
- Salipod. With the help of this product, not only the growth is eliminated, but also the resulting wound is protected from infection.
Due to the presence of a large number of varieties of patches, it is possible to select the most optimal treatment option for the patient.
Traditional medicine
Treatment of the disease is often carried out using pharmaceutical drugs. Their production is carried out in the form of ointments and creams, which ensures the most comfortable treatment.
Doctors recommend treatment with Salicylic ointment, which is characterized by a drying effect, which can significantly speed up the process of treating pathology.
In some cases, the use of callus fluid is recommended. Despite the low cost of the drug, it is characterized by a high level of effectiveness.
To treat the disease, some patients are recommended to use Karaev's balm. Due to the presence of a pronounced antiseptic effect, the possibility of an infectious process is eliminated.
It is also recommended to use ointments based on sulfuric acid, which are characterized by the presence of a drying effect.
Drug therapy is quite effective in treating the pathological condition. In this case, it is only recommended to choose the right medicine in accordance with the characteristics of the pathology.
Folk remedies
To combat wet calluses, you can use traditional medicine. They are prepared on the basis of:
- Salt. To prepare the medicine, you can use table or sea tar. It is recommended to dilute one teaspoon of this raw material in a liter of water. Using the resulting solution, baths are carried out, as well as rinsing the affected area. The use of this remedy is allowed until the bubble bursts. If there is an open wound, these procedures can cause severe pain.
- Lemon. The use of this medicine is also allowed only if the bladder is intact. Lemon is characterized by the presence of an antiseptic effect, so with its help you can significantly alleviate the patient’s condition. Preparing the medicine is quite simple. To do this, it is recommended to cut off a piece of fruit and apply it to the tumor. A sterile bandage is used to secure the medication. To ensure maximum effectiveness of treatment, it is recommended to carry out the procedure in the evening before bedtime. The compress is removed in the morning.
- Plantain. This product is used to soften the growth and speed up its healing. To treat the pathological condition, it is recommended to take a plantain leaf, wash it thoroughly and apply it to the growth. A bandage is used to secure the medication. You can remove the sheet after 10 hours, so it is recommended to carry out the procedure at night.
- Aloe.
With the help of this medicinal home plant, the pathological condition is effectively treated. The medicine is prepared from the leaf of an old plant, which is recommended to be thoroughly washed beforehand. A small piece is cut from the leaf and cut lengthwise. Next, it is recommended to apply the soft part of the plant to the neoplasm. The folk medicine is fixed with a bandage. It is recommended to keep the leaf for 6-8 hours.
Traditional medicine is not only effective in the treatment of calluses, but also safe, which makes it possible to use it for various categories of patients. Regardless, you should consult your doctor before using a certain medicine.
Prevention
In order to avoid the appearance of neoplasms, it is recommended to carry out their prevention in a timely manner. For this purpose, only comfortable and high-quality shoes should be chosen that exactly match the size.
When choosing summer shoes, it is best to give preference to natural materials. When choosing shoes, it is recommended to ensure that the material is breathable.
If a rough part is located in a strategically important place, then it would be best to refuse to purchase such shoes. When wearing sports shoes, it is recommended to wear socks.
For excessive sweating of the feet, regular use of talc is recommended. To avoid the appearance of calluses on your hands, it is recommended to work with a variety of tools only with gloves.
By following simple rules of prevention, it is possible to eliminate the development of a pathological condition.
