What are Plantar Warts?
A wart is a growth that can occur anywhere on our body that is exposed to the environment. The most common places to find warts are on the bottoms of our feet or our hands. Warts are caused by a virus known as Human Papilloma Virus. Although warts can occur anywhere, the reasons why our hands and feet are most vulnerable is that these areas are in the greatest contact with this virus. These viruses are more highly concentrated in areas with high humidity (swimming areas, showers, locker rooms, shoes) although they are generally found universally around us. Those that are most vulnerable to this virus are children and people with compromised immunity.
Symptoms of Plantar Warts
Warts usually begin as a small corn like lesion and will progress to a cauliflower like appearance. At this stage warts are usually confused for corns or calluses. There are usually black dots within the lesion. These black dots represent tiny blood vessels. Therefore, when attempting to remove these lesions, bleeding will most likely occur. Warts can also occur in groups or coalesce into a large mass known as Mosaic warts. When they become larger, they can become quite painful, especially on the bottoms of feet. Since warts are caused by a virus, they are contagious and can spread to other parts of the body such as the hands.
Treatment of Planter Warts
There are many accepted treatment for warts. The following are a list of the most common treatments:
- Application of a strong acid compound
- Prescription of a compound you can apply at home. This may be done in combination with office treatment.
- Burning or Laser to remove the wart.
Prevention of warts can be accomplished by keeping feet clean and dry. Regular use of foot powder or foot sprays can be helpful. For the athlete it is best to use flip flops when in showers or locker rooms.
Evaluation Procedure for Plantar Warts
Your Podiatrist will perform a thorough examination and he/she will be able to distinguish between a callus and a wart. Usually this will require shaving down the lesion which is not painful.
