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Most of us are familiar with calluses.
對于“老繭”，我們都很熟悉。
These extra-tough patches of skin are generally quite useful-wemight even say handy-because they act like a kind of natural armor, protecting areas of skin thatget an unusual amount of wear and tear.
這些皮膚上突出的硬皮是很有用的，也可以說是方便，因為他們扮演著保護常磨損皮膚的天然盔甲的角色。
Have you ever wondered exactly what a callus is, or howit forms on your skin?
你是否思考過什么是老繭？他又是怎樣形成的？
Callus formation is triggered by pressure or abrasion.
老繭是由壓力和摩擦而形成。
The heel of your foot as it rubs inside yourshoe, or the palm of your hand if you're doing a lot of manual labor are good examples of this.
腳后跟的繭是由其在鞋里摩擦而形成，正如手繭是在大量的勞動過程中形成。
While it might feel like a callus is something extra, added to your skin, it's actually just a build-up ofwhat's already there.
盡管看起來似乎是皮膚上多出的部分，然而事實是已經存在的皮膚角質的累積。
Your skin has a number of layers of different types of cells.
皮膚是由若干層不同類型的皮膚構成。
The outermost is a layer of hardened, dead cells.
表層是一些壞死的硬細胞，
This top layer is usually about twenty-five cellsthick, and it constantly replaces itself as the outermost cells flake off to be replaced by new hardened, dead cells underneath.
通常有25個細胞那么厚，表層細胞不斷的脫落，取而代之的是下層硬的壞死細胞，由此而完成自我更替過程。
If your skin is subject to an unusual amount of friction, this layer of dead cells increases.
假如皮膚受到不尋常量的摩擦，這層壞死細胞將會增加，
New deadcells are added faster than the old ones slough away.
新的壞死細胞增長速度比舊細胞脫落的速度快，
This can build up the outer layer fromtwenty-five cells thick to over a hundred cells thick.
這就致使皮膚表層的厚度增加到100個細胞那么厚，
You've grown a callus.
由此，老繭便形成。
While calluses are generally useful, if the process continues unchecked a callus can thicken into acone-shaped structure called a corn.
雖然一般來講，繭是有益的，但如不控制其過程，老繭厚度就會增加到被稱作雞眼的錐形結構，
These super calluses can be quite painful, and may require the attention of a doctor.
那樣就會很疼，甚至需要去看醫生。
