| Plantar Warts derive their name from the
location in which the warts occur—on the
soles or “plantar” aspect of the foot.
Otherwise they are identical to warts found
elsewhere on the body. Caused by a group of
viruses called the “human papilloma virus,”
Plantar Warts become painful when they
develop on areas of the foot that bear
weight. The pressure causes the wart to
expand inward, compressing on the nerves in
the deep layers of the skin and making
walking more difficult. Plantar Warts can
usually be distinguished from calluses and
corns by the small black dots that emerge on
their surfaces. These are known as
thrombosed capillaries. Another distinction
is that the pain associated with corns and
calluses normally results from direct
pressure, while Plantar Warts are painful
upon both direct and side-to-side pressure.
They are commonly found in children,
adolescents, and young adults. It is
relatively rare for a person over the age of
45 to develop Plantar Warts. The virus that
causes warts usually enters the body through
a break in the skin, such as a small cut,
abrasion, or maceration after swimming or
bathing. Warts can occur as single lesions,
multiple separate lesions, or mosaic, a
coalescence of multiple lesions.
Common treatments for Plantar Warts
include cryosurgery (freezing), chemical
cauterization and destruction (acid
treatment), or excision. It is always
important to avoid penetration of the dermis
as this can lead to a painful scar.
Recently in studies, a new, off-label
treatment of Cimetidine (Tagamet) has been
shown to be effective in the eradication of
Plantar Warts. It’s a method of action that
increases the body’s immune system’s
capability to successfully recognize and
destroy the wart virus and affected cells.
It can be used as a sole agent or in
conjunction with the previously mentioned
treatments.
So, if you notice a lesion on your foot,
see your local podiatrist who can expertly
diagnose and treat it using a variety of
modalities. By the way, there is absolutely
no truth to the old wives’ tale that you can
get warts from touching frogs, although
touching some South American poisonous frogs
can kill you!
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