Anonymous Question Why can't I use corn plasters?

[Anonymous Question]

Anonymous question submitted:

Why shouldn't I use corn plasters I know they are impregnanted with an acid type solution to burn the corn out but why can't I use them. What harm can be caused

To submit a question, please go to http://www.diabetes.co.uk/ask-an-anonymous-question.html

 

[Sarah69]

Who says you can't use them?

 

[Daibell]

There are constant warnings around for those with diabetes and many medicines include these. The asumption is that you have very high blood sugar and at risk of infection etc. If you blood sugar is well-controlled then I see no reason for a diabetic to be treated any differently from anyone else. I now ignore most of these warnings unless I can see a good reason.

 

[AndBreathe]

I think the reason is that some diabetics lose sensation in some of their extremities. For individuals like that, the acid could do quite a bit of damage, without the individual feeling any pain or discomfort.

I think manufacturers will always err on the side of caution, which clearly makes sense.

Personally, I wouldn't want to be using a corn plaster; diabetic or not. My understanding is they work by two means - the cut off the oxygen to the skin, which inhibits growth of the corn, and the acid softens the callous.

 

[carty]

The best way to treat the corn would be to take it to a chiropodist which as a diabetic you can be referred to by your GP

CAROL

 

[Squire Fulwood]

the acid could do quite a bit of damage, without the individual feeling any pain or discomfort.

A conundrum: If the individual is not feeling any pain or discomfort why does the corn hurt?

 

[AndBreathe]

A conundrum: If the individual is not feeling any pain or discomfort why does the corn hurt?

You're assuming the person wants to treat the corn due to pain. It could be for aesthetic reasons.

To be honest, there's more value in dealing with the root cause of the corn, rather than the corn itself, I'd have thought.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

To be honest, there's more value in dealing with the root cause of the corn, rather than the corn itself, I'd have thought.

Ugly corns apart I agree with the above.

I had a corn and I bought a thing called a Scholl 2in1 Corn Express Pen. You plane the top off the corn with one end of the pen and dob on a tiny amount of stuff from the container in the other end. I worked a treat without a plaster ............and I threw the shoes away.

 

[AndBreathe]

Ugly corns apart I agree with the above.

I had a corn and I bought a thing called a Scholl 2in1 Corn Express Pen. You plane the top off the corn with one end of the pen and dob on a tiny amount of stuff from the container in the other end. I worked a treat without a plaster ............and I threw the shoes away.

Yonks ago, when I was working in the NHS (so that's more than 25 years ago now!!), I had a verruca, which I showed proudly to the podiatrist along the corridor, expecting high quality, preferential, treatment. Her advice was cover the offending verruca with plain zinc oxide plaster - sticky side directly onto the verruca, and to give it the best ignoring I could for at least 2 weeks. Then to replace the plaster and repeat until the verruca disappeared.

It worked a treat, without sharp blades or caustic chemicals, but starving the blighter of life-giving oxygen.