Corn Removal Surgery Cost (By a Podiatrist)

After my post on the price of ingrown toenail surgery, I thought I'd touch on corn removal surgery cost. 

A lot of you wonder about this. People assume that due to the pain, they're going to be super-expensive to banish. 

You'll be relieved to hear this isn't the case! The vast majority will be walking with a spring in your step after one appointment. 

But this doesn't mean you'll never have trouble with your corn again... 

​​How Much Does Corn Removal Surgery Cost

• In the vast majority, we can remove corns in one Podiatry appointment. Hard corns, seed corns and soft corns between toes. 
• So, find out the cost of a new patient appointment, and there's your answer. In the UK, this will vary between somewhere between £40-60.
• Remember, a new patient appointment is more expensive than a regular one. 
• ​Some corns are trickier so more expensive, to remove. 

What Is Corn Removal Surgery?

It's when a Podiatrist cuts out the stinging skin with a sterile scalpel. In the UK, US, Canada, Australia etc, corn removal surgery is the same procedure. 

I don't mean full-blown foot surgery. 

It doesn't usually need a local anesthetic. It may bleed a tiny bit, but nothing a small plaster won't handle. 

If in doubt, check the many Youtube videos! 

What Costs Are Involved in Corn Removal Surgery?

• The clinic equipment involved is relatively cheap. This is about the Podiatrist's time. 

• It needs skill so we don't cut and hurt you. We know where to start, where to end, and how far down to go.
• We also find out why you have the corn in the first place. This is super important to it doesn't come back!
• Some Podiatrists take 15 minutes to take out one corn, some take 5. It's all down to each practitioner and what works for them.  ​

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Cheap Corns To Remove

Hard Corns

Hard corn, easy to remove. They're simple to see and it's obvious (to Podiatrists) why they're there.

A kernel of hard skin has grown inwards— we carve it out. Simples. 

But for you, at home? To start, douse it in Flexitol. Then, keep pressure off it with a gel pad or corn cushion. 

Seed Corns

Seed corns come in clusters. But the good news is they're shallow and often don't even need scalpel removal.

They do need a good paddle file. You also need a quality foot cream. This has to include urea as an active ingredient. 

(Out of all the brands, I prefer Gehwol mint for this. It's cooling, smells amazing and of course, softens)

Soft Corns 

​Soft corns between toes can be trickier. They're usually smashed about by acid corn plasters with lots of dead skin to cut away.

​The other thing about soft corn surgery is that they're dug in, far back, and in the creases of the toes. They also look a lot smaller than they actually are. 

More Expensive Corns...

More Than One

This kind of goes without saying, some patients have lots of corns. These need time to take out one by one (unless it's seed corns, where you can often file 'n' cream). 

In my experience though, it's usually one or two main culprits causing the bulk of the pain.  

When It's Actually A Verruca or Wart

Even for Podiatrists, it can be near impossible to tell the difference 'tween a corn and a wart.

What looks like a hard corn will start spotting with blood. Or it will keep coming back after corn removal surgery. 

The reason they can be more expensive is: if it's a verruca/wart, one treatment is not going to cure it. ​

Smoker's Corns

These are rarer now fewer puff. They are an absolute nightmare when they're present though.

Painful and easy-to-bleed, smoker's corns need more time — even for experienced Podiatrists.
Smoker's corns need regular appointments quicker than normal. They come back fast and for as long as people keep smoking. 

When You Need Regular Appointments

Even with the best will in the world, some patients need corn removal surgery. Theirs come back no matter what,no matter how good your Podiatrist is, or how well you stick to our advice!

Come-back corns are usually down to your shoes, toe position or some form of arthritis. Often a combination of all three. 

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Why Does My Corn Keep Coming Back?

• The biggest culprit for you having your own chair in the Podiatry clinic are shoes. Too tight, too narrow, too high. 
• Some patients are willing to put up with corn pain to keep wearing heels.
• The next is some form of arthritis. You use the non-painful side more, whether you know it or not. This extra pressure and friction form a corn. 
• Most often we can offload the area with an insole.
  
• Sometimes though, even the best orthotics just delay it coming back. ​

Can I Do Corn Removal Surgery Myself?

When you watch corn removal on Youtube, you're watching skilled and experienced Pros.

True, it's not difficult to cut skin with a scalpel. What is difficult is knowing where to cut and when to stop. Apart from injuring yourself, you stand a good chance of leaving a big chunk of corn tissue in situ.  

Or even worse, giving yourself scar tissue which even us Podiatrists can't cut out. 

Don't let that put you off the above steps to make the gap between appointments longer though. 

How To Cut Corn Removal Costs

​If you need to go back and 'fore to your Podiatrist, then there's a few things you can do:

• Put urea foot cream often and lots on the corn-catching area.
• Take your Podiatrist's advice on footwear!
• File with an emery board
• Consider insoles. They don't have to be expensive. 
• If you have smoker's corns, quit. ​​

​Women (Have Worse Feet Than Men)

Yep, and it's all down to those ballet-tight footwear.

Fashion is an integral part of your life. Society says so — like corsets.   

But it's not only shoes and buying apparel online is a double-edged razor. 

You can access stuff you'd never see down your McHigh Street for sweatshop prices.

Then it rocks up and looks (or fits) decidedly different from advertised.

If you've got Amazon Prime, use Try Before You Buy.

You can order six items (including shoes, kids and men's clothes) and cavort in front of a mirror trying them for 7 days. ​ You only pay for what you decide to keep. 

(Returns are free). ​

​Corn Removal Surgery Cost (By a Podiatrist)

I make no secret of the fact that I love corn surgery. For me, the trickier the better and nothing beats seeing a patient walk pain free. 

Now believe it or not, most Podiatrists would rather not make corn removal surgery cost you the earth. To get you back in the chair every few weeks spending your hard-earned. You'll tell all your friends that we couldn't cure it.

I see it as a personal challenge to banish corns for good.