It’s winter and my heels are those of a scaly monster. I have tried the razors and only succeeded in hurting myself. I tried the PediEgg but didn’t give it a real chance. I don’t mind a pedicure but let’s assume I am too lazy or homebodied to get one.
I see these battery ones on QVC:
Is this kind of thing any good? I know I would need multiple sessions but will it eventually help? Experiences or advice welcome. Thanks!
I use a pumice stone in the shower and that seems to work. For the money I think you would be better off buying a Dremel Tool at least you know you’re getting a quality product, and a good multitasker. Here is a video
I purchased an Emjoi from QVC several years ago and thought it did a really great job. Unfortunately it is no longer working, and I have been searching for a new one. Apparently the corded ones have the most power and work best. I have also been considering the rechargeable one. You may be able to find better prices on Amazon.
I have the Amopé Pedi Perfect. I got it at Costco.com, and have seen them at Target.
Works great! I have tried it in the shower, but prefer it after soaking the feet in hot water. And sitting down to use it.
I tried many things but the only one that worked was a simple pumice stone sold as a household cleaning object. Box says “Pumie Scouring Stick”. It works great and is hella cheap. Everything else was a bust.
It took several weeks of hard scrubbing every day to get my feet to a normal baseline.
I take a nightly bath and always scrub my feet with the pumice stone. If I don’t I begin to morph back into my reptilian form, feet first.
Baby Foot. You soak your feet in water, put on the booties for a while, soak your feet again. Then you come back and soak them in water a few times over the next week. And then your feet start to shed. But it works.
Pumice stones are good. There are rasps that look a little like cheese graters, and they do the job just fine.
A knife is not a good idea…
+1 for the Dremel. You can get pumice stone-like bits and the speed is adjustable. And like sitchensis said, it can be very useful for other tasks. I use mine regularly.
This bit will work well, I have this one and it’s handy: https://www.google.com/search?q=dremel+bit+sanding&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwizh7mHytfSAhWF5iYKHfSIBqoQ_AUICCgC&biw=1024&bih=672#imgrc=eGrtOgKVh6sRbM:.
The sanding part is about ½" tall.
Third for the Electric Elephant; what everyone outside my family calls a Dremel tool.
(The early one we had took this odd flexible nose attachment, we were young, and it made sense at the time 
)
You mean one of these razor planes? I have one of these, and it works really well for me. Not sure how, but it seems to only cut into hard callous tissue and left softer living skin underneath intact.
Heh. I was overly aggressive and not patient enough to work thin layer by thin layer. I used an angle that ended up wounding me, and more than once. Just the picture makes me wince.
Good call on the Dremel – I do have one and in fact the pedicure place used one for a while too. I may even have the bits shown above!
So, regardless of tool, you always soak your feet first?
I have a couple of specific spots where callouses build up on my toes. I just cut them with my pliers-style nail clippers.
Or people could learn to buy shoes that fit properly, and save all that scraping, filing, and acid treatments. If you believe your shoes fit properly, and you’re developing calluses on your feet, you need to reevaluate how you select shoes. Or not.
*A callus (or callosity) is a toughened area of skin which has become relatively thick and hard in response to repeated friction, pressure, or other irritation. Rubbing that is too frequent or forceful will cause blisters rather than allow calluses to form. Since repeated contact is required, calluses are most often found on feet because of frequent walking. Calluses are generally not harmful, but may sometimes lead to other problems, such as skin ulceration or infection.
Prevention -
Corns and calluses are easier to prevent than to treat. When it is not desirable to form a callus, minimizing rubbing and pressure will prevent callus formation. Footwear should be properly fitted,[3] gloves may be worn, and protective pads, rings or skin dressings may be used. People with poor circulation or sensation should check their skin often for signs of rubbing and irritation so they can minimize any damage.
Treatment -
Calluses and corns may go away by themselves eventually, once the irritation is consistently avoided. They may also be dissolved with keratolytic agents containing salicylic acid, sanded down with a pumice stone or filed down with a callus shaver, or pared down by a professional such as a podiatrist or a foot health practitioner.*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callus
Removing hardened skin can be done with sharpening stones, files, power tools, and anti-fungal creams like Tinactin (beware of allergic reactions, and advice found on the internet).
I wear sandals 365 days a year. And I get calluses. They aren’t a problem here in the tropics.
But, when I go to a desert (low humidity) area, they crack, bleed and the pain makes it is difficult to walk.
So, before going, I soak my piggies, and grind the calluses down with the Amopé.
If it dies, I will Dremelize them.
I wear shoes that are open in the back and barely touch the skin that gets all scaly.
Sandals pretty much 24/7/365 here too. I love my Chaco Z2s! But they do promote the callouses. Also, too, the dry air in the desert promotes cracking. I like using Vaseline cocoa butter oil. That and the pliers style nail clippers work well enough.
A podiatrist I saw a few years ago said calluses were strongly related to the biomechanics of how any given individual walks. This seems to be true for me, since I’ve had calluses in the same spots on my feet for years, regardless of what shoes I’ve worn.
Scaliness/cracking is a separate issue. My calluses are intact armor for my feet, but my wife’s uncallused heels develop deep cracks and fissures during the winter months. Not a footwear issue for her, either; her skin just gets dried out, and she has to apply lotion on a daily basis to keep things from getting out of hand.
What about those boots with creams, you put the cream on then the boot and let it sit awhile. Then in about a week the whole thing starts shedding skin.
Similar to post #6?
Scaly skin is not callused skin. Your scaly skin could be a symptom of dry skin.
You might want to consult a dermatologist?
Callused skin in not necessarily a bad thing. It’s the body’s why of protecting itself. Callused skin could become scaly, itchy, cracked, etc., but the basic callus is simply thickening of the skin. The longer the condition exists that causes the callusing, the thicker the callus becomes. A shoe that is too tight in the toe area may quickly develop a blister, or more slowly develop a callus.
People who walk barefoot develop thicker skin on the bottom of their feet. The thickening of the skin protects the foot. People who work with their hands, carpet layers, mechanics, laborers, carpenters, etc., all develop thicker skin, and calluses, that protect their hands.