As people run, walk, work, and go on with their daily lives their poor feet take a beating. The way the foot protects itself from external harm is to form callouses, which are hardened layers of mostly dead skin. This is all well and good, but the human body can take things to extremes sometimes. When this happens overly large, unsightly callouses form which can lead to skin ulceration or even infection. Some people, especially for people who suffer from diabetes, develop painful corns which are a very dangerous form of callous. Fortunately, with the use of a foot file, you can remove these unsightly blemishes from your feet. The foot file's gentle, rasping action can even act as a  form of foot massage durring the procedure, adding to their relaxing qualities.

What Is a Foot File?

A foot file merely refers to any number of devices used to remove callouses from the feet. This is a very general description however, as foot files come in many different shapes and sizes. While there are a lot of different kinds of foot file, they all tend to have one of three purposes:

• A rasp type foot file usually features large metal teeth which cover tiny holes into which the foot filings fall. Rasp type foot files can even sometimes resemble cheese graters! These kind of files are used for removing dense callouses and corns. The large teeth allow the file to remove large amounts of hard callous all at once with minimal effort.
• A buffer style foot file has a gritty, almost sand papery surface in most cases which sloughs away callouses. Foot files of this type scrape away callouses to a smoother finish than the rasp, but do so more slowly.
• However if you don't want to worry about buying two styles of foot file, there are a number of dual action foot files on the market. These files feature both a rasp and buffer side, allowing for both buffing actions in one tool. Many professionals however shy away from these, as single use instruments tend to be of higher quality.

How to Use a Foot File

Using a foot file can seem like a pretty simple proposition, but if not done right you could go so far as to injure yourself or a loved one. Not to sound dramatic, but some of the rasp type files can be quite sharp, even including diamond dust! As you can imagine a missed stroke could certainly scrape an ankle or leg. So here are a few tips on how to properly use your foot file:

• Before filing the foot, make sure to check and see if you have a dry or wet foot file. Some foot files are designed for the softened callouses after a shower or bath. On the other end are dry files, which rasp away the flaky skin of dry callouses. Mismatching your foot file can lead to over filing, which can result in cutting into living tissue.
• When filing the foot, use short, quick strokes, adjusting the pressure of the file on the foot by the thickness of the callous. Pressure is very key when filing a foot, because it determines how much skin you are scraping off. Remember, scraping off too much skin can leave your feet raw and sensitive.
• Consider filing your feet in two stages. First, use a rasp style foot file to scrape away the bulk of the callous, then come in with a buffer file, and smooth out the rough skin left behind by the rasp. Dual action foot files are great for this type of filing.