Callous on the palm of my hand

For well over fifteen years I have had a callous-like growth on the palm of my hand. The first time I saw a doctor about it he treated it as a wart and tried to kill it off with dry ice. That didn't work at all and seemed to be making it worse, so I discontinued treatment. About three years ago I went back to seek treatment again and my new doctor decided that it was a callous, likely caused by recreational cycling. I found that odd because I've had this so-called callous since before I started cycling, and it grows all year round, even during the winter when I don't ride. The doctor sliced the callous off with a flat scalpel and advised me to do the same every time it grows back.

Well, I don't cycle any more, and the thing just keeps coming back. It really does look just like a callous. It is circular in shape, about the size of a dime, and grows back about every four weeks. It has no black dots like a wart, no discharge at all. It's just a hard circular spot on the fleshy part of the palm of my hand. What the heck is this thing?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

From the description of your symptoms it sounds like a callus. For calluses of hand,pls apply lots of moisturing lotion and vit E on the hands. Place protective covering or bandages over the sore to decrease friction on the skin until the sore heals. Rub sandpaper disks or pumice stone over hard thickened regions. Soak feet or hands in warm soapy water to soften calluses.Then rub with a pumice stone and apply some moisturizer.

If still the calluses persist,then pls go in for removal by surgical means or with keratolytic agents (medicines that break up hardened areas of skin). Shaving or cutting off the hardened area on the skin by a doctor is also helpful.

You can log on to the following website and see if the lesion resembles your lesion:
http://www.visualdxhealth.com/searchResults/adult_Male_Palm.htm

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

A callus is an especially toughened area of skin which has become relatively thick and hard as a response to repeated contact or pressure. Cyclists can develop calluses similar to those of weight lifters, due to the strain from gripping handlebars.  In particular, a corn (or clavus) is a specially-shaped callus of dead skin that usually occurs on thin or hairless and smooth skin surfaces, such as your palm surfaces. Corns form when the pressure point against the skin traces an elliptical  path. The center of which is at the point of pressure, gradually widening. If there is constant stimulation of the tissues producing the corns. Even after the corn is removed or the pressure surgically removed, the skin may continue to grow as a corn.

Sometimes a callus occurs where there is no rubbing or pressure. These hyperkeratoses can have a variety of causes such as toxins, certain illnesses, or even from overexposure to sun or with age and hormonal shifts.  Diabetics may also be susceptible to thickening of the skin. Continue with what your doctor has advised and if it persists and interferes with your daily tasks, surgical intervention may be warranted.

Take care and regards.

[lisha_b]

I have had calluses in the very middle of each palm my WHOLE LIFE.  They have remained the same exact size that whole time (about a quarter of an inch).  When I was a kid I would pick at them and get them off, and that was not good because it would just be painful for a couple of days until it healed.  Then the callus would just come back.  I am 42 years old and all my primary care doctors have been at a loss as what this is in my palms.  They just chalk it up to it being my own form of eczema.

Good luck, but know that you can live with this...  I have for 42 years.