Plantar warts are small, rough bumps that appear on the feet, typically on the balls and heels, where pressure is highest. This pressure can cause the wart to grow inward beneath a thick layer of skin (a callus). Plantar warts are caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which enters through small cuts or breaks in the skin on the soles of the feet. While most plantar warts aren’t serious and often disappear on their own, especially in children under 12, they can be treated with self-care methods or by consulting a doctor for quicker removal.
Symptoms and indicators of plantar warts include:
Consult your doctor about the growth on your foot if:
Plantar warts are caused by an HPV infection that affects the outer layer of skin on the soles of the feet. The virus enters through tiny cuts, fractures, or vulnerable areas, leading to the formation of warts. In adults, these warts can persist for several years, while in children, they may last from a few months up to two years if left untreated.
There are around 100 different types of HPV, and the virus is quite common. However, only a few types are responsible for causing foot warts. Warts found on mucous membranes or other skin areas are usually associated with different strains of HPV.
The immune systems of different people react differently to HPV. Warts don’t appear on everyone who comes into touch with it. Even members of the same family respond differently to the infection.
Plantar wart-causing HPV strains are not very infectious. Therefore, direct contact between individuals is difficult for the virus to propagate. However, because it prefers warm, humid environments, strolling barefoot near swimming pools or locker rooms increases your risk of contracting the virus. More warts could develop if the virus travels from the initial infection location.
Plantar warts can affect anyone, however they are more likely to affect:
A plantar wart is usually diagnosed by a medical professional through a visual examination. They may also remove the top layer with a scalpel to look for small dots, which are occluded blood vessels. Alternatively, your doctor might take a small sample of the growth and send it to a laboratory for further analysis.
Though it may take a year or two for youngsters and much longer for adults, the majority of plantar warts are benign and disappear on their own without therapy. Speak with your doctor if you’d like to get rid of warts sooner and self-care techniques aren’t working for you. It may be beneficial to use one or more of the following treatments:
Your wart develops a blister due to the freezing, and the dead tissue peels off in about a week. Your immune system may be boosted with cryotherapy to combat viral warts. Until the wart goes away, you might need to come back to the clinic for follow-up treatments every two to three weeks.
Cryotherapy can cause pain, blisters, and long-term changes in skin tone (hypo- or hyperpigmentation), especially in those with dark or black skin.
Your doctor would probably advise you to take the medication as prescribed by your doctor, with sporadic office visits in between. Using this procedure, getting rid of the wart could take weeks.
Should freezing medication and salicylic acid prove ineffective, your physician may recommend one or more of the subsequent therapies:
If one plantar wart disappears after treatment but another appears in a different location, it may indicate renewed exposure to HPV.