Bunions are a deviation of the first metatarsal head medially (to the inside of the foot). This happens over time. This has to do with genetics, your shoe gear, your foot type, and the way that you walk over the years. Sometimes a lot of patients say, “My mother had really bad bunions, and now I have them, too. I don’t want to look like mom so can we get rid of the bunions?” I say, “Sure! Of course!” We have to have a procedure done in the operating room where we correct the bunion, and then you’re bunion-free.

The bunion is the deviation of the first metatarsal head, which is the bone; and, in that area, it ends up stretching out the skin by that bunion. It ends up causing a lot of inflammation and thickening of the tissue in that region, as well, because it gets a lot more pressure and abuse from rubbing against the shoes because the shoes are usually not wide enough to accommodate it.