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Common Foot
Conditions
Plantar
Warts
Definition
Plantar warts are
different from most other warts. They tend to be flat
and cause the buildup of callus (that has to be peeled
away before the plantar wart itself can be seen.
Plantar warts may attack blood vessels deep in the
skin. They can be quite painful. Plantar warts are
caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) type 1 and tend to
affect teenagers.
By contrast, common
warts on the skin of the fingers and hands appear as
little mounds of overgrown skin with a rough dry
surface. They do not as a rule grow down much and they
do not tend to hurt. They are usually caused by HPV
types 2 and 4 and by preference affect young children
before their
teens.
To avoid plantar warts,
a child should be taught never to wear someone else's
shoes. If a child gets plantar warts, they should be
treated by a doctor. Plantar warts can be far more of a
problem than common warts.
Symptoms
Warts may appear
spongy, with tiny red, brown, or black spots. They can
grow up to an inch or more across, occurring alone or
with smaller warts clustered nearby. Warts are
sometimes mistaken for corns and calluses. They can
persist for years and recur in the same spot. If left
untreated, warts can spread to other parts of the foot
or even to the hands or other areas of the body.
Evaluation
Your podiatrist
examines your wart carefully to determine that it is
not a corn or callus. A wart will usually feel painful
when your podiatrist squeezes it from side to side. To
examine the wart further, the hard skin layer around
the wart may need to be trimmed. A wart will have
certain spots that bleed when trimmed; a callus will
not.
Treatment
Medication - The
wart is broken down by applying an acidic
medication. Blister forming medication may also be
used. Treatment may need to be repeated over
several weeks.
Curettage - The
wart is removed with a small, spoon-shaped
instrument. To lessen the pain, a local anesthetic
is often used with this procedure.
Laser - The wart
is vaporized, using focused light energy produced
by a laser. To lessen the pain, a local anesthetic
may be used with this procedure.
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