Plantar Warts Can Be A Pain But A Podiatrist Can Help Treat Them

Podiatrists see many patients who experience warts on their feet, which can sometimes be avoided by having certain foot care habits. Plantar warts are benign (non-cancerous) growths that occur on the sole (plantar surface), heel or ball of the foot. Pressure from standing and walking often causes them to grow into deep layers of the skin, causing uncomfortable foot pain.

Plantar warts are caused by a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV). There are over 100 different kinds of HPV. In some cases, the HPV virus dies within 1 or 2 years, and the warts simply disappear. Other types of HPV viruses can survive for many years and even multiply. Since we do not know which HPV virus a patient has, it is best to treat all warts to protect the risk of spreading.

Warts occur when the virus invades the body through tiny cuts or breaks in the skin on the bottom of the feet. The virus is encountered on contaminated surfaces, such as the tile floor of public locker rooms, showers, hotel rooms and swimming pools. Not everyone who comes in contact with the virus gets infected. The most common age groups to get warts are those under 16 and between 30 and 40.

Plantar warts usually are rough and spongy. Most are gray, brown or yellow with dark pinpoints. Scraping a wart may cause it to bleed because they have many blood vessels. Warts may cause foot pain. Podiatrists seeing patients with warts often feel a "lump" on the bottom of the foot which can look like a callous or foot blisters. Many patients come in to a foot clinic thinking they have a callous only to find out it is a wart. Left untreated, warts can grow up to 1 inch in circumference and may spread into clusters (called mosaic warts).

There are many different options to treat plantar warts. There are several over-the-counter medications that contain chemicals that can destroy the virus, but they don't work very often. Other treatment options are: having your foot doctor apply strong acid, cold therapy, laser treatment, or cutting them out. There isn't one treatment that is more effective than another; treating warts is usually a trial and error process.

The best treatment for warts is to prevent them from invading your feet. The following may help prevent plantar warts:
Avoid walking barefoot whenever possible
Change shoes and socks daily
Keep feet clean and dry
Check children's feet periodically
Avoid direct contact with warts on other people or on other parts of the body

If you have a spot on your foot that you are unsure about, it is always best to play it safe and have it evaluated by a podiatrist. Although warts are treatable, other skin lesions can be cancerous.