Warts

What are plantar warts?

Warts are small growths on your skin that develop when the human papillomavirus (HPV) infects your skin by invading through a small tear or sore. Although warts can develop anywhere on your foot, they most often appear on your soles, where they’re called plantar warts.

There are two types of plantar warts. You can develop a single wart that may increase in size, or you may have mosaic warts, which are a cluster of warts growing together in one area

Plantar warts aren’t cancerous. However, they are contagious. The virus is easily spread through direct contact with a person who has a wart or through an object touched by an infected person. Plantar warts are often spread at swimming pools and in community showers. You can also pick up the virus by walking in dirty areas without shoes.

What symptoms develop due to plantar warts?

Plantar warts on the bottom of your foot are exposed to pressure from walking and other activities. As a result, they tend to penetrate deep into the foot and cause pain that can become severe.

You may mistake a plantar wart for a callus because it often looks like an area of tough, thick skin. However, you may notice tiny black dots on the surface of the wart.

What treatments are available for plantar warts?

Plantar warts usually clear up on their own, but it can take a long time before they go away. In the meantime, you may want to get medical treatment so you don’t have to put up with the pain or wonder whether you might spread the virus.

It’s also important to come in for treatment when your plantar wart bleeds, spreads, limits your activity due to pain, or if you have diabetes. Patients with diabetes shouldn’t use over-the-counter wart removers because they often contain ingredients that can damage your skin.

Your treatment depends on the severity of your warts. Your doctor at Arlington/Mansfield Foot & Ankle Centers may prescribe salicylic acid, which you apply daily to soften the wart. Other treatment options that don’t take as long include topical treatments, freezing the wart off, and surgery to remove the wart.

If you develop a plantar wart, schedule an appointment using the online booking feature or by calling Arlington/Mansfield Foot & Ankle Centers.