Warts and your feet

What is a plantar wart?

Verrucae Plantaris more commonly known as Plantar Warts benign lesions that are found on the bottoms of the feet and grow inwards. Plantar Warts are caused by the viral infection, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Warts can occur on most places of the body but what makes plantar warts different is that they are only found on the soles of the feet and commonly in weight bearing areas such as the heels or forefoot. Warts being a virus can occur on their own but are also very contagious. Therefore, they are commonly picked up around swimming pools and change rooms.

Diagnosing a Plantar Wart

Plantar warts are commonly diagnosed in the clinic through looking at the lesion and at times removing the top layer of skin with a scalpel to find little black dots called capillaries. The podiatrist may also perform the Squeeze Test which if positive indicates the lesion is a Plantar Wart. These tests are often used to distinguish between Plantar Warts and Corns. 

Treating a Plantar Wart 

Plantar wart treatment will vary depending on where you get your wart treated and some plantar warts will go away on their own without any treatment. 

The idea of treatment is to injure the warty tissue, which allows the immune system to target the virus and remove the warts. Warts are pretty stubborn and often require more than one treatment.

Some types of treatments involve:

• Sharps debridement

• Cryotherapy with Liquid Nitrogen

• Topical Treatments such as Salicylic Acid, Silver Nitrate or Phenol 

• ‘Swift’ which uses Microwave (heat) Technology

• More invasive treatments can be performed by a Dermatologist including curettage or surgical excision 

If you think you have a plantar wart it is a good idea to book an appointment with a podiatrist to assess the area and start treatment. 

By A.Thompson