PRODUCT FOR TREATMENT OF CORNS AND CALLOUS SKIN ON FEET

Abstract

A novel product for the treatment of corns and callous skin on feet is disclosed herein. The product may be a therapeutic shoe adapted that enables softening of hardened skin on the bottom of a person's foot by adding a small amount of water before the person wears the shoe. The shoe may comprise an outer shell and an inner sole, wherein the inner sole makes contact with the bottom of the person's foot when worn and may comprise an absorbent material that retains water at a higher water concentration than that of the human body, facilitating osmosis and the softening of any hardened skin on the person's foot that may subsequently be removed by non-rigorous buffing.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/046,981, filed Sep. 7, 2014, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure describes a novel product for the treatment of corns and callous skin on feet.

2. Description of the Related Art

Corns are thickened areas of skin that form in response to excessive pressure and friction, as the body attempts to protect the skin and the structures beneath it. Corns are usually hard and circular, with a polished or translucent center, similar to a kernel of corn. Corns may become painfully inflamed in response to persistent, excessive pressure or friction, or may become ulcerated when two corns rub against one another.

A callus occurs due to hyperkeratosis, namely the thickening of the skin due to pressure. A callus can occur over a bony prominence, such as the ball of the foot or on the heel. A callus often occurs due to prolonged standing and may result in chronic pain.

A heel corn or callus is thickened cornified skin situated at a pressure point. Heel corns and calluses are well-known problems affecting many people. Cracked heels, often referred to as fissures, are commonly caused by dry skin. For most people cracked heels are simply a nuisance and a cosmetic problem, but when the fissures are deep, the skin can bleed easily and cause great pain.

Attempts to address the above-identified issues include home remedies such as using a sharp blade or razor to shave off hardened skin or the application of chemical agents. However, such treatments may be dangerous and can cause other injuries to the patient. In particular, the use of chemical agents or a sharp blade to remove corns would cause great harm to diabetics and other individuals with poor circulation. Another traditional treatment is use of a pumice stone or callous file to remove dead, cracked, and dry skin. However, this remedy is generally rough on the patient's foot and often leads to too much skin being removed, causing additional problems. Soaking the feet in water is the preferred treatment for softening hardened skin on the feet and thereby making it easier to remove the hardened skin. However, soaking the feet in water requires the patient to remain stationary for an hour or more for the remedy to be effective in many cases. Many patients that would benefit from soaking their feet in water simply do not have the patience or luxury to stay in one place for so long. Many commercially available products for getting rid of heel calluses and corns attempt to simulate this softening using natural or man-made ingredients, including silicone. However, the best treatment is to regularly soak the feet in water, which allows exfoliation of unwanted tissue with gentle rubbing, such as with a wet washcloth.

Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules from areas of higher water concentration (lower osmotic pressure) to areas of lower water concentration (higher osmotic pressure). Osmosis occurs in the body when water diffuses through semi-permeable membranes such as those around cells which are nearly impermeable to ions but very permeable to water.

There remains a need for a product that allows a person to gain the benefits of soaking the person's feet in water without restricting the person's movement from one location to another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the exterior of a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional side view of a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the exterior of an embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows an exterior view of an embodiment.

SUMMARY

A novel product for the treatment of corns and callous skin on feet is disclosed herein. In some preferred embodiments, the product is a therapeutic shoe adapted to enable softening of hardened skin on the bottom of a person's foot by adding a small amount of water before the person wears the shoe. The shoe may comprise an outer shell shaped generally like a high-top house slipper, wherein a sole portion of the outer shell impacts the ground when a person wears the shoe, an upper portion of the shell completely covers the remaining portions of the person's foot, and an opening at the top of the outer shell permits insertion and removal of the person's foot. The shoe may further comprise an inner sole that is inside the shoe and on top of the sole portion of the outer shell, wherein the inner sole makes contact with the bottom of the person's foot when worn. The inner sole may comprise an absorbent material that holds water at a higher water concentration than that of the human body and, more importantly, higher than that of the human foot. Thus, when a sufficient amount of water is added to the inner sole the water enters the skin on the person's foot by osmosis. This softens any hardened skin on the person's foot and the resulting softened skin may then be buffed off with a wet washcloth or similar soft object. The therapeutic shoe may be provided with a second shoe so that the person may simultaneously wear a pair of therapeutic shoes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure describes a novel product for the treatment of corns and callous skin on feet.

In some preferred embodiments, the product is a therapeutic shoe adapted to enable softening of hardened skin on the bottom of a person's foot by adding a small amount of water before the person wears the shoe. The shoe may comprise an outer shell shaped generally like a high-top house slipper, wherein a sole portion of the outer shell impacts the ground when a person wears the shoe, an upper portion of the shell completely covers the remaining portions of the person's foot, and an opening at the top of the outer shell permits insertion and removal of the person's foot. The shoe may further comprise an inner sole that is inside the shoe and on top of the sole portion of the outer shell, wherein the inner sole makes contact with the bottom of the person's foot when worn. The inner sole may comprise an absorbent material that may retain water at a higher water concentration than that of the human body and, more importantly, higher than that of the human foot. Thus, when a sufficient amount of water is added to the inner sole the water enters the skin on the person's foot by osmosis. This softens any hardened skin on the person's foot and the resulting softened skin may then be buffed off with a wet washcloth or another soft object. The absorbent material may preferably be sufficiently absorbent such that water placed on a portion of the inner sole will not spread to the remaining areas of the inner sole in any appreciable amount. Thus water may be localized to the area of the person's foot that requires treatment and only a small amount of water may be necessary for effective treatment. The amount of water required may be between about 1 to 3 fluid ounces of water.

The inner sole may preferably be sufficiently flexible to fit the contour of the wearer's foot, thereby providing a comfortable foot bed for the wearer's foot. The shoes may preferably be machine washable in an automatic washing machine and may preferably be sufficiently durable to be washed after each use.

The therapeutic shoe may be provided with a second shoe so that the person may simultaneously wear a pair of therapeutic shoes.

In some embodiments, the sole portion of the outer shell may be reinforced on its exterior with a durable sole portion that allows the person to walk while wearing the shoe. The durable sole portion may comprise a durable material such as leather, plastic, or rubber. The plastic may comprise nylon.

In some embodiments, the sole portion of the outer shell may extend upward from the ground a specified distance and the upper portion of the outer shell may be made of a porous material that allows for ventilation of the shoe. This extended sole portion prevents unwanted leaking of the water from within the shoe. The ventilation provided by the porous upper portion allows the shoes to be worn for extended periods of time, which may be required in extreme cases of hardened skin on the person's foot.

FIG. 1 shows the exterior of a preferred embodiment (100) designed like a high-top house slipper. A fastener (105) at the neck of the shoe enables securing of the shoe to the foot. The fastener may preferably comprise a VELCRO® fastener or another hook-and-loop type fastener. In preferred embodiments, the shoe does not incorporate any laces, zippers, buttons, or other such features that would permit the leakage of water from the shoe. The upper portion (110) of the shoe may comprise a flexible, highly water-resistant or waterproof material such as plastic, rubber, or a specially treated tightly woven cloth. The sole portion (115) of the shoe may comprise the same material as the upper portion, such that the entire body of the shoe may be made from the same piece of material. The exterior of the sole portion may be reinforced with a second layer of a different material such as plastic, rubber, or leather to provide durability to the bottom of the shoe.

FIG. 2 shows the interior portion (120) of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The interior portion of the shoe may preferably comprise a soft material, such as cotton, such that the shoes are comfortable to wear. An inner sole with a top layer (125) of absorbent material may be situated at the bottom of the interior portion of the shoe, wherein the absorbent material retains water at a concentration that is higher than the water concentration of a person's foot. The inner sole may also preferably include a bottom layer (130). The bottom layer may be made from a waterproof material to prevent water from leaking out of the shoe.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment wherein the upper portion (310) and the sole portion (315) of the shoe (300) are each made from different materials. In this embodiment, the upper portion may comprise a porous material that allows for ventilation. The porous material may preferably be a woven material, as shown in FIG. 3. However, other breathable materials including cotton and other fabrics may also be used. The sole portion of the shoe comprises a waterproof material that keeps the water within the shoe from leaking out when the person wearing the shoe is standing or sitting upright. The sole portion extends up the sides of the shoe to a pre-selected distance (320). Some of the water in the shoe will evaporate through the porous upper material.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a therapeutic soaking shoe (400) with a reinforced sole. The sole portion (415) of the outer shell (410) may be completely covered with a layer of durable material (420). The durable material may comprise leather, plastic, rubber, a combination thereof, or any other suitable durable material. The durable material will impact the ground when the person is walking, making the shoe more comfortable to wear and also extending its usable life.

Depending on the depth of the callus, the wearer may experience positive results within days. The amount of time required for each soaking may be between about 15 minutes and 1 hour. After using the disclosed soaking shoe, a gentle rubbing action with a wet washcloth or other soft object may be sufficient to gradually exfoliate callous tissue, including heel fissures. With regular use of the disclosed soaking shoe, calluses may easily be managed.

The disclosure and examples above are intended as illustrative and are not intended to limit or otherwise restrict the invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon full appreciation of the above disclosure. For example, one skilled in the art will understand that a variety of different products that rely on the same underlying principles used to generate the products disclosed above may effect the same results as the disclosed products. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

All references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A therapeutic shoe for treatment of hardened skin comprising:

a. an outer shell comprising a water-resistant material, wherein the outer shell comprises an upper portion and a sole portion that impacts the ground when worn, wherein the upper portion covers the top and sides of a person's foot, and wherein the upper portion and the sole portion are seamlessly connected;

b. an opening at the top of the outer shell, wherein the opening is adapted for insertion and removal of the person's foot;

c. a fastener capable of securely closing the opening at the top of the outer shell sufficiently to secure the person's foot after the person's foot is inserted into the shoe; and

d. an inner sole comprising a top layer that makes contact with the bottom of the person's foot, wherein the top layer comprises an absorbent material that holds water at a higher concentration than the concentration of water in the person's foot and is sufficiently absorbent such that water placed on a portion of the inner sole will not spread to the remaining areas of the inner sole in any appreciable amount, and a bottom layer comprising a waterproof material;

wherein when a sufficient amount of water is added to the inner sole and the shoe is worn by the person the water enters the skin on the bottom of the person's foot by osmosis.

2. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1 wherein the outer shell has the general shape of a high-top house slipper.

3. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein two therapeutic shoes are provided so that the person may wear a pair of therapeutic shoes.

4. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole portion of the outer shell is reinforced with a second sole portion on the exterior portion of the outer shell, wherein the second sole portion comprises a durable material.

5. The therapeutic shoe of claim 4 wherein the durable material is selected from the group consisting of leather, rubber, and plastic.

6. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the sole portion of the outer shell and the upper portion of the outer shell are each made of different materials that are physically connected together, and wherein the sole portion comprises a waterproof material that extends upward from the bottom of the shoe a specified distance and the upper portion comprises a porous material that permits ventilation.

7. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the fastener is a hook-and-loop type fastener adapted to secure the opening around an ankle of the person.

8. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the time the person needs to wear the shoe to effect positive results may be between about 15 minutes and 1 hour.

9. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the amount of water is between about 1 to 3 fluid ounces.

10. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the absorbent material is a sponge or cotton fiber material.

11. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the shoe is machine washable.

12. The therapeutic shoe of claim 1, wherein the outer shell comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, wherein the inner layer comprises a soft material and the outer layer comprises a water-resistant material.

13. The therapeutic shoe of claim 12 wherein the soft material is cotton.