About Plantar Warts
Plantar warts are non-cancerous growths caused by a strain of the human papilloma virus (HPV). People tend to develop plantar warts along the parts of foot where they place the most pressure, including the sole, heel or ball of the foot. There is a low risk of complications in patients with plantar warts, but many people decide to remove the warts when they start to disrupt posture or cause pain.
Plantar warts look like calluses, but can be identified by their gray, brown or yellow tone, as well as by the dark dots within the warts that are the capillaries that supply them with blood. A plantar wart is flat, and can cause a patient to feel as though there is a lump under her foot.
How Plantar Warts Develop
Similar to an iceberg, the surface of a plantar wart is only a fraction of its true size underneath the skin's surface. The size of a plantar wart is often twice the size of its surface, with some growing to as big as an inch in circumference if left untreated.
Plantar warts spread in clusters, also known as mosaic warts. As patients continue to walk and apply pressure to the wart, it gets pushed deeper into the skin's surface and a callus develops over its surface. Over time, multiple plantar warts may develop in one area. These clusters are called mosaic warts.
How Plantar Warts Spread
Because plantars warts are caused by HPV, they are contagious. All ages are vulnerable to developing plantars warts, however, most plantars wart patients are between the ages of 12 to 16.
HPV survives well in warm, moist environments. Many patients contract HPV and subsequently plantar warts by going barefoot in communal showers, locker rooms and other contaminated areas. Patients with HPV may or may not develop plantar warts, depending on the type of strand they contract and the strength of their immune system.
Preventing and Treating Plantars Warts
Exercise caution to prevent plantar warts. Avoiding being barefoot in public areas, wearing clean socks and regularly checking the outside of the foot are good techniques to prevent getting HPV and plantar warts.
Patients who do have plantar warts are advised to speak to their physicians to determine if treatment is needed. Many podiatrists offer planters warts treatment options, including topical mild acids, laser treatments, surgical removal or cryotherapy--a technique that freezes the wart and causes it to naturally fall off within a few days. If the plantar wart does not cause pain or discomfort, some physicians will advise to not treat the plantar wart at all.
