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Calluses are hardened areas of skin caused by increased friction and pressure. While some function as protection for your joints, they’re not exactly sightly for sandal season, and, in some cases, they can get so hardened that they hurt. “The key is to prevent calluses from getting to the point where they are causing discomfort,” says Marcela Correa, a licensed professional medical pedicurist and the founder of Medi Pedi NYC. “Your feet are your body’s foundation, and the smallest change can throw off your way of life and limit your independence.”
As the Strategist’s personal-grooming expert, I spoke to Correa and nine other experts about the best callus removers. All of them recommended seeing a professional pedicurist or podiatrist. That’s not always an option, though, so I asked about the most effective ways to soften your skin at home. An important note, however: Because we’re dealing with removing layers of skin, safety is a big component. If you have poor circulation or diabetes, it’s best to see a professional. And if you don’t, you should aim for results over time and then work on consistent upkeep. “There is no permanent cure for calluses,” explains Jacqueline Sutera, D.P.M., a podiatrist at City Podiatry. “It’s all about maintenance with gentle filing and daily moisturizing, prevention, and treatment when necessary.” With that said, below are suggestions — ranging from gentle foot files to fast-acting gels — that have been vetted by our panel of experts and even tested by me.
What we’re looking for
Removal method
There are a couple main ways you can tackle calluses: manual or chemical removal. Gels, masks, peels, and creams all fall under the category of chemical removal. They use active ingredients like acids and enzymes to dissolve dead skin or soften the callused area up so dead skin can be rinsed, buffed, or peeled away. Manual removal involves tools like foot files, pumice stones, and electric callus removers that physically buff away the layer of rough skin. Both methods vary in strength (more on that soon) and in some cases can be used in conjunction with each other.
Active ingredient or material
It’s important to take into account exactly what it is that’s softening or breaking down calluses. Active ingredients include urea and acids that exfoliate the skin chemically. For manual methods of callus removal, we highlight the material that is actually in contact with your skin. Stainless steel is your safest bet. While pumice stones are easily available, experts told me their porosity makes them susceptible to harboring bacteria and molds after getting wet. Stainless steel also doesn’t rust, which is important if you’re using your tool in the shower or storing it in the bathroom. Besides, since most manual callus-removal tools are meant to be used repeatedly, we’ll note when the tool has replacement heads or grit available.
Strength
As mentioned, both manual and chemical callus removers vary in strength. Start with a gentle remover, and if you opt for a stronger one, follow directions to a T to avoid damaging your skin. Most of the methods I mentioned are on the gentler or medium side, so they’ll work over time with consistent use. I also included more intense methods, which may get faster results, but proceed with caution.
Best callus remover overall
Method: Manual | Material: Multidirectional stainless-steel grit | Strength: Gentle-to-medium
Foot files are a safe and effective way to remove calluses. This Footlogix file has both a fine grit and coarse, offering gentle to medium strength. As someone who doesn’t get bad calluses on my feet often, I can appreciate how gentle Footlogix’s file is for weekly to biweekly maintenance. In under five minutes, I’m able to smooth out rough patches on my heels and on the outside of my big toes with just the fine-grit side. I’ve never worried about overdoing it or scratching my skin raw in the process.
Multiple experts brought it up — Emily Splichal, D.P.M. at the Center for Functional & Regenerative Medicine; Dana Stern, M.D., board-certified dermatologist specializing in nail health; and Sundays nail-salon founder Amy Lin — for having a stainless-steel multidirectional grit. Lin uses the coarse side if she hasn’t had a pedicure in a while and the fine side every day and for the tops and sides of her feet that sometimes get calluses. If your calluses are more hardened, be sure to use an exfoliating foot cream (more on that below) before filing to break down the hardened skin. Lastly, be sure to use it in an up-and-down direction, as opposed to side to side, because this follows the natural cracks and curvatures of our skin, minimizing the chances of creating cracks or cuts.
Best less-expensive foot file
Method: Manual | Material: Multidirectional nickel grit | Strength: Gentle-to-medium
This Probelle foot file is a couple bucks less and, like the Footlogix above, has a coarse and medium side. Instead of stainless steel, it’s made of nickel, which doesn’t easily oxidize or rust. It’s worth noting that this didn’t come out as our best-overall pick because nickel is a more common cause of skin allergies or reactions than stainless steel. But if you know you don’t react to the material, it’s a perfectly fine and affordable option.
Best foot file with disposable grit
Method: Manual | Material: Disposable abrasive paper | Strength: Gentle-to-medium
If you prefer something you can dispose of after use, go for this stainless-steel file kit with exfoliating stickers. Each sticker is meant to be used once before being thrown out. This kit comes with 15 sheets of both the coarser 80-grit paper and the medium 180-grit paper, so you can use it on areas with lots of built-up skin and more sensitive areas. And once you’ve gone through those sheets, you can easily restock on the medium or coarse abrasive stickers.
Best electric foot file
Method: Manual | Material: Refillable roller heads made of micro-abrasive particles | Strength: Medium
Electric foot files take away the elbow grease that comes with the above manual foot files. “A flick of a switch rockets the electronic foot file to a gentle rotation,” the Cut’s senior beauty editor Ashley Weatherford writes. “In about five minutes, the roughest of feet can be transformed into buttery-soft morsels.” Because this is so easy to use, be sure to take it slow. “It is possible to go too deep, down to dermal layers of skin, which can cause infection, pain, increased cracking, and scarring,” Sutera says. This particular Amopé tool comes with the regular coarse roller head, but there are also extra-coarse and ultracoarse grit options. The company recommends replacing heads whenever they “no longer remove hard skin as thoroughly,” which can be indicated if the “roller appears to be lighter and the grain size is abraded.”
Best callus-remover gel
Method: Chemical | Active ingredients: Potassium hydroxide, glycerin, propylene glycol | Strength: Intense
For something more intense and fast-acting, this callus-removal gel is used at some nail salons for removing calluses in minutes. Back in 2017, writer Alison Freer peeped it at her local salon and bought it for herself. “It was one of the smartest things I’ve done in forever, because I’m now the owner of two soft, smooth, very uncalloused feet,” she writes. You simply apply it to calluses, let it sit for three to five minutes, and follow up with a pumice stone or foot file. Be sure to wear gloves for applications, use only a small amount on the callused area, and follow the instructions to a T. Don’t exceed the time it says on the bottle or you may start to feel a burning sensation.
Best foot cream to remove calluses
Method: Chemical | Active ingredient: Urea | Strength: Gentle-to-medium
For a cream-based option that’s not as intense as the aforementioned gel, go for PurSources’ foot cream. It contains 40 percent urea, an exfoliating ingredient that dissolves superficial dead skin cells and calluses. While it works well for rough patches on its own, it can also be used in conjunction with a manual foot file if you have a particularly stubborn callus. Stern recommends following up with a rich cream, like shea butter to seal in moisture.
Best less-expensive foot cream to remove calluses
Method: Chemical | Active ingredients: Urea and salicylic acid | Strength: Gentle
Kerasal Intensive Foot Repair is slightly more affordable than the PurSources and still offers satisfying exfoliation. Its active ingredients are urea and salicylic acid, which slough away dead skin. Edgard Nau, D.P.M., a podiatrist at Manhattan Home Podiatric, says this works with consistent use and recommends wearing gloves while applying it or any other cream. This creates a barrier between your hands, maximizing its penetration and effectiveness on your feet.
Best foot-peel mask
Method: Chemical | Active ingredients: AHA + BHA botanical blend | Strength: Medium
A foot-peel mask also uses chemical exfoliation like the above creams and gel, but doesn’t require following up with a foot file or pumice stone. This one’s especially great if you have hardened calluses, since it’s made with a blend of AHAs and BHAs. Last summer, I turned my fair-weather running into a more consistent habit, which caused me to get more calluses than usual. That paired with more sandy beach days caused the buildup on my heels and edges of my feet to be more noticeable than ever before. Instead of reaching for my Footlogix file, I gave Patchology a try. To prep, I soaked my feet in hot water for 30 minutes and mixed in the packets of AHA-packed essence into each of the foot-mask socks. Then I simply placed my feet in them, turned on an episode of The Real Housewives of New York, and waited an hour. At the end of the 60 minutes, I washed my feet and dried them off. In a week’s time, my feet shed an almost scary amount of skin, but the results were worth it. My feet felt even smoother than they usually feel after a standard pedicure.
Best less-expensive foot-peel mask
Method: Chemical | Active ingredients: Natural AHAs | Strength: Gentle
Tonymoly’s Magic Foot Peeling Shoes are less than half the price of the above Patchology and an excellent choice for exfoliation, since the product is made with AHAs from apple, lemon, and grape extracts. I recently tested these out for myself, following the instructions exactly. These didn’t require soaking or much prep at all. I just took out the foot-mask socks, slipped my feet into them, and waited a little over an hour before taking them off and rinsing off the residual ingredients. My skin didn’t shed as much as when I tested the Patchology peel, but I was still left with silky-smooth feet after about four days.
Some more callus removers we like
Our experts
• Jin Soon Choi, founder of JINsoon
• Marcela Correa, Medi Pedi NYC founder and licensed professional medical pedicurist
• Alison Freer, the Strategist contributor
• Skyy Hadley, celebrity manicurist and owner of As ‘U’ Wish Spa
• Amy Lin, founder of Sundays nail salon
• Edgard Nau, D.P.M., podiatrist at Manhattan Home Podiatric
• Emily Splichal, D.P.M., Center for Functional & Regenerative Medicine
• Dana Stern, M.D., board-certified dermatologist specializing in nail health
• Jacqueline Sutera, D.P.M., podiatrist at City Podiatry
• Carrie Telles, pedicurist at W Austin’s Away Spa
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