Warts
Description
Plantar warts are small growths that usually appear weight-bearing areas of your feet. This pressure may also cause plantar warts to grow inward beneath a hard, thick layer of skin. Plantar warts are caused by HPV. The virus enters your body through tiny cuts, breaks or other weak spots on the bottom of your feet.
Symptoms
Warts appear a small, fleshy, rough grainy growth. They can be singular or multiple growths. They usually are very painful when squeezed from the sides, but not so much when pressed upon.
Treatment Options
Treatment options for warts involve removing the wart via debridement. This is usually painless to to the patient. Also application of specific acid can lead its removal. This will burn off the skin and wart together in that area. When done under the supervision of a podiatrist, No scars remain. Repeated debridement and chemical application may be necessary.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell the difference between a wart and callus?
While both look very similar, there some signs which differentiate a wart from a callus. Usually warts will be painful when they are squeezed from the sides, but not when pressed upon. A callus will be the opposite, and pain will occur when it is pressed upon but not when squeezed from the sides. A wart will also interrupt the normal ridges of the skin, while a callus will not. A wart will be able to spread to other area and to areas of non-weighbearing surfaces. Callus will not do so. Warts usually have Black pinpoint centers where small blood vessels reside.
Are warts contagious?
Yes! Goot foot hygiene is crucial and making sure towards to not spread. And efforts to keep others from getting the virus, it is best to clean the bathroom, and use Lysol on surfaces where your feet have touched. It is very important to cover up the wart with a Band-Aid. Picking at the wart will help it spread to other areas of the foot and also the fingers. Warts shed virus just like any other virus and therefore it very important to clean all touched surfaces to prevent its spread.
Is this what I have?
This is just a one of the thousands of possible issues our feet can have. Unfortunately many of the symptoms are similar for many pathologies, pain being one the most common symptom of all. Therefore it is imperative to see a professional as soon as possible for an accurate diagnosis and the proper treatment.