[Dr. D]

A corn between toes 4 and 5 can be common. The corn can be on either the 4th or 5th toe, or it can actually between between the toes. The corns between the toes generally appear whitish and peeling. There can be surrounding redness and they can be very tender. It's important to rule out a fungus, which can appear the same. Generally the fungus affects all the interspaces and the white peeling areas extend on the toes, sometimes on the top of bottom of the foot.

It is very common for those with flatfeet to have rotation of the 4th and 5th toe. The toes tend to place excess pressure on the joint areas, causing the body to respond by building up excess skin. Or in the interspace, the excess pressure in combination with moisture, tends to breakdown the skin. Narrow shoes or tight dress shoes can exacerbate this.

First, try to figure out if a pair of shoes contributed to the problem. Did the problem start after wearing a certain pair of shoes. If the foot is flat and the toes are rotated, excess pronation could be contributing to this. A pair of orthotics may help control abnormal motion, helping to prevent further rotation. Then, use toe separators or non-medicated corn pads to take pressure off of the irritated area.

The picture below shows common areas of in between toe corns.