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Mostly occurring in children, adolescents, and the elderly, plantar warts are small growths on the skin that develop when the skin is infected by a virus. Warts can develop anywhere on the foot, but typically appear on the bottom of the foot. Although warts can resolve spontaneously by themselves, it may become necessary to treat warts that affect an individual's ability to walk. Warts are generally harmless, even though they may be painful and are often mistaken for corns or calluses. Drugstore shelves are packed with over-the-counter treatments for plantar warts, but they may not do you much good in terms of long-term removal. Treatment of plantar warts is best left to a professional, but there are some things that you can do at home to ease the pain and keep plantar warts off of your feet. What are Plantar Warts? Plantar warts are one of several soft tissue conditions of the foot that can be very painful. Caused by a virus that generally invades the skin through small or invisible cuts and abrasions, plantar warts can appear anywhere on the skin. Children, especially teenagers, tend to be more susceptible to warts than adults. Most warts are harmless, but painful and tend to be hard and flat, with a rough surface and well-defined borders. Warts are generally raised and fleshier when they appear on the top of your foot or on the toes. Plantar warts are often gray or brown in color, with a center that appears as one or more pinpoints of black. It is important to note that warts can be very resistant to treatment and have a tendency to reoccur. There are two types of warts:
• A solitary wart, which is a single wart and often increases in size and may eventually multiply, forming additional satellite warts.
• Mosaic warts, which are a cluster of several small warts growing closely together in one area. Mosaic warts are more difficult to treat than solitary warts. Symptoms of plantar warts include thickened skin, pain and tiny black dots. A plantar wart often resembles a callus because of its tough, thick tissue. Tiny black dots may often appear on the surface of the wart, which are dried blood contained in the capillaries (tiny blood vessels). Plantar warts grow deep into the skin, which usually occurs slowly, with the wart starting small and becoming larger over time. Prevention and Treatment To reduce your risk of developing plantar warts: • Avoid direct contact with warts.
• Keep your feet clean and dry.
• Don't go barefoot in public areas.
• Don't pick at warts because it may spread the virus.
• Don't use the same file, pumice stone or nail clipper on your warts as you use on your healthy skin and nails.
• Wash your hands carefully after touching your warts.
• Do not ignore growths or changes in your skin. Self-treatment is generally not advised because over-the-counter preparations contain acids or chemicals that destroy skin cells. It takes an expert to destroy only the abnormal cells without destroying healthy tissues. Lasers have become a common and effective treatment of warts. Although plantar warts may eventually clear up on their own, most patients desire faster relief. The goal of treatment is to completely remove the wart. Your podiatrist in New York City may use topical or oral treatments, laser therapy, cryotherapy (freezing), acid treatments, or surgery to remove the wart. Regardless of the treatment, it is important that you follow your podiatrist's instructions, including all home care and medication that has been prescribed, in addition to follow-up visits with your podiatrist. Warts may return, which requires further treatment. Although there are many folk remedies for warts, patients should be aware that these remain unproven and may be dangerous. Patients should never try to remove warts themselves. Contact your New York City podiatrist immediately if you suspect you have a wart.
Sean Hartmen writes for leading podiatrist in New York City, Dr. Kenneth Meisler and his team of professional podiatrists. Offering cutting-edge technology such as digital x-rays, diagnostic ultrasound imaging and the use of lasers for wart treatment in New York City, Dr. Meisler and his team are committed to providing the best quality podiatric care.
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