Review (5/5): Great for massaging into callused feet.
Some products for treating calluses on the feet are too harsh (chemical sloughing lotion or gels) or too greasy (foot balms, creams). As a diabetic, it doesn't take long for calluses to form on the bottom of my feet--especially the heels, the sides, and the bottom of the toes. I soak my feet in a foot spa once a month with warm water and Epsom salt (any "spa" variety: tea tree, lavender, peppermint, menthol) and use a fine emery board to gently abrade the hard calluses. The Epsom salt is what makes the calluses to slough off, and the fine emery board helps speed the sloughing process.
In between soakings, I try to keep ahead of the stubborn callus growth by using the products mentioned above. Always looking for something "better" and a callus remover that wasn't prone to burn the delicate skin near the calluses, I found this: Major Pharmaceuticals' "Ammonium Lactate 12% Moisturizing Cream."
Ammonia lactate is a natural moisturizer of the skin. It's an acid, which is primarily the reason it works to get rid of accumulated dead, dry skin cells. So that the acid doesn't irritate the skin, the lactic acid is neutralized with ammonium hydroxide. The result is a cream that is deliberately neutralized to a comfortable, human-friendly pH of 4.5 to 5.5.
The key ingredient is ammonia lactate. It's the stuff that does away with dry, flaky skin, dead surface skin cells, and (what else but dead surface skin is calluses).
The cream doesn't just remove dead, dry skin cells, leaving your skin bare and raw, like some products do. To protect your skin, the cream contains a number of emollients to hydrate, soften, and exfoliate dry and rough skin.
Directions suggest applying the cream on dry skin twice a day. "Slow and steady wins the race!" the tortoise said to the hare. It's good advice in this instance. Harsh chemical sloughing lotions will quickly dissolve calluses, but it does so at the risk of burning and irritating proximal healthy skin. This cream works over a period of time that makes it safe for your skin. But in as little as three days, your feet will feel better, will look clearer, and seem softer.
I recommend this product.