How Do I Remove a Hand Callus?

A hand callus can be removed at home by exfoliation. First, identify how the hand callus occurred by looking for a source of repetitive pressure being applied to the skin, such as the use of hand tool or tennis racket. If you must use the object, try to vary how pressure is applied to the hands, or wear gloves. Apply lotion or oil to the hands to soften the skin, and exfoliate to remove the dead skin. Treat your hands by soaking them in water and gently scrubbing the callus away. For more stubborn calluses, acid treatments are available upon prescription.

Pressure being repeatedly applied to an area on the hand can cause a callus. The body protects itself by adding layers of skin to the area, resulting in a tough pad of skin called a callus. Soak your hand in warm water for 15 minutes, then rub the hand callus with a file or pumice stone. The dead skin should fall away through gentle abrasion. Stop rubbing if you experience any pain and repeat the process daily until the callus is removed.

Apply petroleum jelly into the callus twice a day. Let it soak into the callus for 10 minutes and then rub it with a file or pumice stone. Apply hand moisturizer daily to keep skin soft and help prevent calluses from occurring. Aloe vera is useful for healing and moisturizing hand calluses and should be applied daily to help the hand callus to soften.

If your callus is stubborn to remove then ask your doctor about acid treatments that break down calluses, allowing them to flake away. In rare cases a medical procedure can be performed to remove the callus.

Prevent a hand callus from occurring by identifying the source and protecting your hand with gloves or varying the repetitive pressure or abrasion. Moisturize hands well and treat the calluses as they begin to appear. Olive oil is a natural moisturizer and helps keep skin soft and conditioned — apply it to your hands once or twice a month and leave it to soak in. For exfoliation, a mild facial scrub can be used on hands to exfoliate skin, removing dead skin particles. This can be performed more regularly, and be less harsh than scrubbing with a file or pumice stone.