Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Cosmetic Keratolytic Treatment of Foot Calluses and Corns

August 10, 2026 updated by: Agnieszka Ciszek, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences

Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Cosmetic Keratolytic Treatment of Hyperkeratotic Foot Lesions: A Prospective, Non-randomized, Controlled, Comparative Study of Calluses and Corns

This prospective, non-randomized, controlled study evaluated the efficacy of a topical cosmetic keratolytic preparation (serum and cream containing urea, salicylic acid, and collagen) in reducing the thickness and associated pain of hyperkeratotic foot lesions (calluses and corns). High-frequency ultrasonography (18 MHz) was used for precise, quantitative measurement of lesion thickness before and after a two-month intervention. Participants were allocated to four parallel groups (treated calluses, untreated callus controls, treated corns, and untreated corn controls).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A total of 124 women aged 35-65 years, each presenting with a single non-infectious hyperkeratotic foot lesion, were allocated by lesion type (callus or corn) and by intervention (treated vs untreated), forming four parallel groups of 31. Treated participants applied 2 mL of serum followed by 2 mL of cream, each massaged into the lesion for two minutes, twice daily for two months. Untreated controls received no topical intervention over the same period. Lesion thickness (cm) was measured with an Esaote MyLab60 system and an 18 MHz linear probe, and pain was self-reported on a 0-10 visual analogue scale, at baseline and after two months. Within-group changes were analysed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and between-group reductions with the Mann-Whitney U test.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

124

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Poland
      • Swidnica, Poland
        • OSTEON Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult women aged 35-65 years.
  • Presence of a single non-infectious hyperkeratotic foot lesion classified as either a callus or a corn.
  • Written informed consent provided prior to study initiation.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to salicylic acid, salicylates, or other formulation ingredients.
  • Active dermatological conditions, skin diseases, or epidermal fissures on the lower extremities.
  • Diabetes mellitus.
  • Active cardiovascular disorders or local inflammatory conditions.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Calluses: Keratolytic Treatment
Women with foot calluses applying the topical keratolytic cosmetic serum and cream twice daily for 2 months.
Other: Topical Keratolytic Cosmetic (Serum + Cream)
Application of 2 mL serum followed by 2 mL cream containing urea, salicylic acid, and collagen, massaged into the hyperkeratotic lesion for 2 minutes, twice daily (morning and evening) for 2 months
No Intervention: Calluses: Untreated Control
Women with foot calluses receiving no topical treatment over the 2-month observation period
Experimental: Corns: Keratolytic Treatment
Women with foot corns applying the topical keratolytic cosmetic serum and cream twice daily for 2 months
Other: Topical Keratolytic Cosmetic (Serum + Cream)
Application of 2 mL serum followed by 2 mL cream containing urea, salicylic acid, and collagen, massaged into the hyperkeratotic lesion for 2 minutes, twice daily (morning and evening) for 2 months
No Intervention: Corns: Untreated Control
Women with foot corns receiving no topical treatment over the 2-month observation period

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Hyperkeratotic Lesion Thickness
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months
Lesion thickness measured in centimetres using high-frequency ultrasonography (Esaote MyLab60 with an 18 MHz linear probe)
Baseline and 2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Lesion-Associated Pain
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months
Participant self-reported pain assessed on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).
Baseline and 2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • 1. Wortsman, X. Expanding dermatologic ultrasonography applications: further insights for enhanced patient management. Ultrasonography 42 (3), 476-477. https://doi.org/10.14366/usg.23082 (2023). 2. Bader, D. & Worsley, P. Technologies to monitor the health of loaded skin tissues. Biomed. Eng. Online 17 (1), 40-59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-018-0457 (2018). 3. Benedetti, J. Diagnostic tests for skin disorders. MSD Manual Professional Edition (2024). 4. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. Ultrasound. NIBIB (Bethesda, MD). 5. Bhatta, A. et al. Application of high-frequency ultrasound in dermatology. Discov. Med. 26 (145), 237-242 (2018). 6. Cheng, X. et al. High-frequency ultrasound in blistering skin diseases: a useful method for differentiating blister locations. J. Ultrasound Med. 36 (11), 2367-2371. https://doi.org/10.1002/jum.14302 (2017). 7. Cohen, P. R. & Anderson, C. A. Topical selenium sulfide for the treatment of hyperkeratosis. Dermatol. Ther. (Heidelb.) 8 (4), 639-646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-018-0247-2 (2018). 8. Wortsman, X. Top applications of dermatologic ultrasonography that can modify management. Ultrasonography 42, 183-202. https://doi.org/10.14366/usg.22130 (2023). 9. Argalia, G. et al. High-frequency and ultra-high-frequency ultrasound in dermatologic diseases and aesthetic medicine. Medicina (Kaunas) 61 (2), 220. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61020220 (2025). 10. Cisoń, H. & Białynicki-Birula, R. High-frequency ultrasonography: one of the modern imaging diagnostic methods in dermatology. Authors' own experience and review. Adv. Dermatol. Allergol. 41 (3), 306-313. https://doi.org/10.5114/ada.2024.141108 (2024). 11. Wang, Q. et al. Role of high-frequency ultrasound in differentiating benign and malignant skin lesions: potential and limitations. Ultrasonography 43 (4), 238-249. https://doi.org/10.14366/usg.24015 (2024). 12. Jaguś, D., Malinowska, S. & Mlosek, R. Skin ultrasound diagnostics in beauty parlour. Ae

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 14, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 10, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KEBN-23-02-14

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data (lesion thickness measurements and VAS pain scores, before and after the intervention) underlying the results reported in the associated publication will be made available.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning after publication of the main results, with no planned end date

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Available to qualified researchers on reasonable request to the corresponding author (agnieszka.ciszek@awf.wroc.pl)

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Subscribe