DEAR DR. GOTT: I have had a bunion on my right foot for a long time. It is very painful. My foot doctor has cut the side of my shoe off so the bunion can extend out. This is the only pair of shoes I can wear.

I may have to have surgery, but some of my friends have told me the bunion will probably grow back. Do you know of any ointment that I can put on it? Or what else would you suggest I do?

DEAR READER: A bunion is a bony protrusion on the joint at the base of either big toe. There are a number of reasons for them to form, the most common of which are poorly fitting shoes, congenital deformities, foot injury and arthritis. Symptoms include the obvious bulge of the bunion, intermittent or constant pain when wearing footwear, swelling and skin thickening at the base of the great toe. The toenails may grow into the sides of the nail bed, and some bones may bend permanently at the joint.
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