PLANTAR WARTS

A Wart is a small growth in the skin that develops when the skin becomes infected by a virus. Warts can develop anywhere on the foot, but typically they appear on the bottom (plantar aspect) of the foot. Plantar warts occur most commonly in children, adolescents, and the elderly. There are two types of plantar warts.

A solitary wart is a single wart (one). It often slowly increases in size and will multiply, forming additional “satellite” warts.

Mosaic Warts are a cluster of several small warts growing closely together in one area. Mosaic warts are more difficult to treat then solitary warts.

Signs and symptoms include:

Thickened Skin - often a wart may resemble a callous because it’s a tough, thick tissue.
Tiny Black Dots – are thrombosed (collapsed) capillaries infected with virus. Some know this as “EYE of the FISH”.
Pain with pressure because we walk on it. There is pain greater with selective side to side pressure (pinching it).

Causes:
Plantar warts are caused by direct contact with the human papilloma virus (HPV).

Typically, the plantar wart virus is acquired in public places where people go barefoot, such as locker rooms, swimming pools, and karate classes. It can also be acquired at home if other family members have the virus.

Diagnosis and Treatment:

In the office to make a diagnosis of plantar wart, the doctor will examine your foot and look for the signs and symptoms of a wart. A specimen of the outer surface of the wart may be taken for biopsy. The goal of treatment is to completely and quickly remove the wart. The doctor will use any combination of topical or oral treatments, laser therapy, cryotherapy (freezing), or sharp removal of the wart.

Follow up treatments with the doctor are extremely important. Warts may sometimes come back and further treatment is most effective at their earliest return.

Although there are many home remedies for warts, patients should be aware that these treatments remain unproven and
may be dangerous. Patients should never try to remove a wart themselves, it can spread and possibly do more harm than good.