Relieving a Hand Callus

Calluses are thickened areas of skin that develop due to repetitive friction from activities such as bowling, writing and weightlifting. When a callus develops on your hand, it's the body's way of protecting itself from infection and possible pain from thinner skin splitting or cracking. With a callus in place, your skin is better able to withstand the repetitive friction. Calluses may be unsightly or annoying, so take steps to eliminate existing ones and preventing any from forming.

Things You'll Need

• Alcohol-free cleanser
• Lotion
• Warm water
• Pumice stone
• Work gloves

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands first thing in the morning with a cleanser designed for sensitive skin. Use lukewarm water and an alcohol-free cleanser so you don't dry out your hands.

• 2

  Apply lotion to your hands, paying special attention to the callus. Choose lotion with thick moisturizing ingredients that will soften the callus and heal any cracks on the hands. Put lotion on throughout the day as your hands get dry and especially right before going to sleep at night.

• 3

  Soak your hands in warm water for 10 minutes every night. Rub the softened callus with a pumice stone gently, back and forth. Exfoliate the hardened skin every night until the callus goes away.

• 4

  Wear protective gloves whenever you're doing repetitive tasks that rub on the skin, such as shoveling snow, gardening or stacking firewood. Protecting your hands prevents calluses from forming and doesn't enlarge existing calluses.