What are corns?

Corns - callouses are lumps or patches of hard skin, often painful, which can form anywhere on the feet. They are really extra think layers of skin that grow specially to protect any part of the foot which is receiving more pressure than usual. When someone goes barefoot for a long time the whole of the sole of his foot will become calloused. When people wear shoes which are to tight or too pointed for them, the shoes press hard on certain parts of their feet and corns develop at these points. This thick layers takes up more room inside the shoes. So the foot becomes even more pinched and sore. You may have noticed that women with tight shoes often take them off under the table-this could be a sign that their corns are hurting! Why are corns so painful? The answer lies in the construction of our skin. The outer layer is quite thin in relation to the inner layer. Corns become painful when pressed because the toughened core has broken through the tissues of the dermis (or inner layer) of the skin.