What Does a Plantar Wart Look Like?
Plantar warts are the common term in use today, but they still go by the name of verrucas (plural verrucae).
The plantar warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), specifically types I and II and occasionally IV. They are contagious, either through direct contact with warts themselves from the skin to skin contact, but also by walking in communal areas where the virus may be present. Plantar warts are commonly picked up anywhere where there is barefoot walking such as a swimming pool and communal showers. Plantar warts occur on the underside of the foot, where there is contact with the ground, such as the heel, toes, and ball of the foot.
What is Plantar Warts?
Spotting plantar warts is usually quite easy, as they form cauliflower-shaped growths on the feet, although in many cases they are flattened. Each plantar wart will have a black core, although it may not be noticeable due to the formation of hard, calloused skin over the top.
Plantar warts are commonly confused with corns on feet, although there are some distinct tell-tale signs that it is a wart and not a foot corn. Paring away the dead skin cells which have formed over a corn, will show small sections of keratin, which is a pearly white in color. The verruca, or plantar wart, will have one or more black sections in the center.
Today we know that there are two types of plantar warts:
- Mosaic Warts: This group represents a cluster of various small warts that are gathered in a specific area.
- Solitary Warts: This group represents plantar warts that increase in size. In addition, they may multiply and establish satellite warts.
Common Symptoms of Plantar Warts
- Flat appearance on the bottom of your foot.
- Presence only on the sole of the foot
- Thickened skin that usually appears like a callus because of its tough, thick tissue
- Small lesions that look like “cauliflower-esque” in appearance.
- Little, flat and hard increased skin lesion with flat growths and a rough surface within strict borders
- The color of the plantar wart is usually brown, gray or the skin color with single or more than one small black pinpoints.
- Skin bumps which break in the regular lines and raises in the skin of the patient’s feet
- Extraordinary dark or light skin enclosing the lesion.
- Deep growth into the skin
- Displays a slow growth progression in that the wart starts off small and gets larger over time.
- Representing rough growths around or under toenails or fingernails
- Suffering from pain when walking or standing and a pain when the sides of the wart are squeezed
- Feeling of a small rock in your shoe when standing on it
- Tiny black dots that are usually present on the surface of the wart.
- Patients’ plantar wart may begin little, and then, may grow larger.
- The dots are actually dried blood involved in the infected capillaries
- The patient may have 1 plantar wart or a group of plantar warts.
- The patient may generally have blood vessels which appear like small dark dots
- They create a mass which made up of a major oval or circle part enclosed by a build-up of skin layers.
- Fleshy, little, grainy bumps on the soles of patient’s feet.
Whilst plantar warts may be painless, often pressure placed on the feet will result in pain, which can be bad especially in cases where there is more than one wart present. Whilst plantar warts are contagious, they do not tend to lead to complications, and in many cases have a lifespan of only 1-2 years. Most commonly, warts will last for up to a year, after which approximately 50% will clear normally. Extend the period up to 2 years and 66% will have gone, with only a third of cases proving to be more persistent.
Plantar warts can be an embarrassing condition but with the right treatment they can be controlled and prevented from recurring. Treatments for plantar warts are variable, and whilst effective, will not work in all cases.
In many cases, doctors are able to diagnose plantar warts by simply having a look, but for a more thorough diagnosis, a sample of the wart will need to be excised for laboratory examination.
A verruca will usually go away after some time though their chances of recurring are very high, although to treat them the best options is usually treated with salicylic acid; the active compound found in Aspirin. Salicylic acid is used to remove the dead skin cells and kill the wart. If this treatment fails, a doctor will usually remove the wart using cryotherapy, and will freeze the wart with liquid nitrogen to kill it. It may take numerous treatments to ensure that the wart is killed, up to 3 or 4 treatments is normal, paring away the dead skin cells after each treatment.
Apart from conventional medicine, there are some alternative medicines that could be used to treat this condition such as garlic oil as well as the use of vitamin D3 patches. The effectiveness of these remedies, however, hasn’t been extensively researched, and there is some question over whether or not warts would have cleared naturally.
To avoid spreading plantar warts it is advisable to avoid scratching the affected areas because it could easily lead to the spread of the virus. Picking at the growth is also strongly advised against, and after touching a plantar wart the hands should be washed thoroughly. Walking barefoot should be avoided as the virus can be transferred to the surface, making it possible for transmission.
Preventing plantar warts is only a matter of taking necessary precautions. The lower the risk of plantar warts the general population should take the below actions:
Always wash your feet after a direct exposure in public areas- Keep your feet clean and dry
- Use antibacterial soap in your daily routine
- Use foot powder to keep your feet dry
- Stay away from possible direct contacts with warts
- Do not wear the same shoes and socks every day
- Wear only clean socks
- Use bleach to wash your socks just in case they were exposed to the virus.
- Always wear shoes, slippers, sandals, and flip-flops while walking in pools, locker rooms, and restrooms. Do not allow warts to have a direct contact with your skin
- Never pick at warts. This may cause a dispersion of the virus.
