Efficacy of intralesional bleomycin for the treatment of plantar hard corns.

Background: Intralesional bleomycin is effective for the treatment of various dermatologic conditions. However, the efficacy of intralesional bleomycin for the treatment of corns has not been established.

Methods: A total of 50 patients with plantar corns were recruited and equally divided between groups A and B. Groups A and B were then treated with intralesional bleomycin (1 mg/ml) after paring the hyperkeratotic tissue and simple paring, respectively. The patients visited our clinic at 3-week intervals and were treated for a maximum of 10 sessions.

Results: Patients in groups A and B were treated for 35 and 29 corns, respectively. The curative rates of the patients in groups A and B were 37% (13 of 35) and 7% (three of 29), respectively. The proportions of lesions in groups A and B that demonstrated a decrease in size by >50% were 80% (28 of 35) and 38% (11 of 29), respectively. The total number of patients that demonstrated excellent symptomatic improvement in group A was 15 of 22. Excellent responses were achieved within a small number of treatment sessions, ranging from one to four sessions (average: 2.6). Statistical differences in terms of the degree of size reduction and pain relief were noted between the two groups.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence that intralesional bleomycin (1 mg/ml) injection could be one of the ideal treatments for corn. Intralesional bleomycin is particularly useful for reducing lesional pain and size within a short period.