callus

(kal′ŭs)

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[L., hardened skin]

1. A circumscribed thickening and hypertrophy of the horny layer of the skin. It may be oval or elongated, gray or brown, slightly elevated, with a smooth burnished surface. It appears on the flexor surfaces of hands and feet and is caused by friction, pressure, or other irritation.
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CALLUS (on the weight-bearing portion of the foot)
SYN: SEE: callosity

TREATMENT
Salicylic acid or careful shaving will remove the callosity temporarily. Removal is made permanent only by elimination of the cause.

2. The osseous material woven between the ends of a fractured bone that is ultimately replaced by true bone during healing.
SEE: porosis

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