What is a plantar wart?
Plantar warts or verrucas are noncancerous skin growths that most commonly occur on bottom of the feet. Verrucas are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV) that invades the skin through tiny cuts and abrasions. Communal showers are assumed to be a common place for someone to get contaminated with plantar warts.
What are the most common symptoms of plantar warts?
Once contaminated by HPV, warts may not appear for several weeks. It is first noticed when patient starts experiencing pain on bottom of their foot. Symptoms include thickened skin, tiny black dots (capillaries or tiny blood vessels), and pain while walking or standing.Most plantar warts aren’t a serious health concern and may not require treatment.However, warts can cause discomfort or pain. If self-care treatments for plantar warts don’t work, you may want to see your doctor to have them removed.
How are they diagnosed and treated?
To diagnose a wart, debridement (shaving) of the lesion using a scalpel is required to look for pinpoint bleeding (capillaries). Once diagnosed, treatment can be started which includes applying topical medication directly to the lesion daily. Other treatments include cryotherapy, laser and microwave ablation. If warts are not resolved using topical treatment, excision of lesion is recommended. To find out more, contact our doctors by calling 732-397-9535
