Aside from being ugly, are calluses a problem?

Spring is approaching, and I hope your first thought is, "Yahoo! I can't wait to get outside and bust my butt doing all kinds of active, outdoorsy things!" However, some of you might also be thinking, "Oh, jeez. There's no way I can wear sandals right now -- my feet are all callused up from the miles I've put in on the treadmill this winter."

The fact is that many active men and women find themselves with serious calluses on their feet. And, while they're a sign that we've worked really hard, they're also unsightly. There are a couple schools of thought about calluses, one being that calluses are a natural shock absorber for your foot. Therefore, some athletes want to keep their calluses.However, calluses can be a problem for athletes as well -- blisters can form underneath the layers of dead skin and it's nearly impossible to determine the exact depth of the blister in order to drain it. Seriously, ouch! And it's preventable!

Having lived with calluses most of my life, I believe that calluses aren't entirely bad, but they need to be kept under control. Half and inch of dead skin is not only unattractive, but it can become a problem. I've had the deep blisters underneath all that, and it sucks, and it doesn't go away without incurring more pain. So, even if you're not all that vain about how your feet look, file down