Plantar warts
Sometimes
painful and very ugly, plantar
warts appear as small lesions on
the sole of the foot, and
occasionally the toes. In their
early stages they look like
small black puncture marks, but
 as they grow they turn brown and
take on a cauliflower-like
appearance. A black spot may
develop in the middle, which is
caused by bleeding. Plantar
warts are pushed deep into the
skin by the weight of your body
as you walk, which is why they
can hurt a lot.
Plantar
warts are hard warts that grow
most commonly on the bottom of
feet. They can be quite
painful since they tend to grow
inward on foot's surface.
People comment that having a
plantar wart is like walking on
a stone all day.
The human
papillomavirus (HPV) strains
that are most often the cause of
plantar warts are type 1 & 2 HPV.
These strains are contagious and
are spread from person to person
via direct contact with the
virus. The HPV that causes
plantar warts thrives in warm,
moist environments such as
shower rooms and summer pool
decks.
Sometimes a group of small
plantar warts develop in one
spot on the foot. The
smaller plantar warts then form
a plaque-like covering.
These warts are called mosaic
warts because of the mosaic look
of the plaques.
Symptoms
Unless feet
are checked regularly, the first
time a person is aware of
plantar warts is pain when
walking. Then on checking their
soles they may notice an unusual
rough crusty lump that feels
tender and sore.
Plantar
warts are sometimes mistaken for
corns or calluses but there are
several differences to look out
for when trying to determine if
you have a plantar wart or
something else.
Plantar warts
have one or more black pinpoints
within the growth. These
pinpoints are actually clotted
blood vessels. Calluses
are smooth and clear.
Plantar
warts also have well defined
boundaries and rough surfaces
whereas calluses are less
defined around the edges and are
have much smoother surfaces.
Causes
These
uncomfortable growths are caused
by the human papilloma virus
(HPV) which thrives on warm,
moist surfaces such as those
found in swimming pools, locker
rooms, and bathrooms. It is a
highly contagious pathogen and
can survive for several months
without a human host. The only
way to catch HPV is by direct
contact, and the viral route
into you is through cuts,
abrasions, and other skin breaks
on your feet. If an infected
person walks barefoot on a
floor, virus particles may be
released which you could catch
by walking across the same
surface. It’s also possible to
become infected by using a towel
of a person with plantar warts.
Treatments
If you have
plantar warts there is
absolutely nothing to be worried
about, even though they can be
painful. They are benign
non-cancerous growths and there
is a range of treatments on
offer to eradicate them.
Many
plantar warts disappear after a
few months or years, and doctors
recommend that you should seek
help only if they are painful.
However, they present a tough
challenge to the medical
profession as evidence shows
that there is no single therapy
that is capable of bringing
about complete remission from
plantar warts in every patient.
(Bacelieri R, Johnson SM.
Cutaneous warts: an
evidence-based approach to
therapy. American Family
Physician. 2005;72:647-653).
Plantar
warts can be eradicated by
salicylic acid which is
available from drug stores.
Applied daily to the troubled
area, the solution breaks down
viral cells and can lead to wart
removal in about four weeks.
Stronger
treatments which can be obtained
from a doctor or chiropodist
include cryotherapy, that is
freezing the warts off with
liquid nitrogen or nitrous
oxide. Electrosurgury involves
the application of an electric
needle to the middle of the wart
until it boils, and then it is
scraped out. Warts can also be
removed by pulses of laser
energy which heat up the blood
vessels within the wart,
resulting in a necrotic wart
that eventually falls off. One
study demonstrated that
clearance rates using this
procedure was 47.6 % (Park HS,
Choi WS. Pulsed dye laser
treatment for viral warts: a
study of 120 patients. J
Dermatol. 2008 Aug; 35 (8):
491-8). However, some of these
surgical techniques can be quite
painful, and may need to be
repeated.
If you have
a plantar wart, treat it
immediately, before the lumps
and bumps take over. But the
first line of defense is to
protect yourself by keeping feet
clean and dry, and avoid walking
barefoot in communal bathing
areas, especially if you have
cuts or scratches on your feet.
If you do notice a plantar wart
then cover it up with a plaster.
In some instances this may be
all that is needed to clear it
up.
Children
and people with immune
deficiencies are especially susceptible to HPV so it is extremely important
that precautions are taken so
they will not be exposed to the
virus. Wear protective
footwear, especially in public places that may be contaminated such as gyms,
locker rooms, pools, and other wet warm places.
Common misspellings: Planter Warts, planters warts, planter wart
- 1. The Mayo Clinic, Plantar Wart
Pamphlet
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