Warts on the soles of the feet are a frequent occurrence. You must’ve had one or know someone who has, like your child. This condition is sometimes referred to as a verruca. It can appear as a single lesion, or sometimes, as an army of plantar warts taking over your entire foot. They are contagious and have the potential to spread throughout your home!
What Is A Plantar Wart
A plantar wart is a benign development that appears on the bottom of the foot. It is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the same virus responsible for some malignancies in adults. The virus usually goes away on its own. However, this does not always happen, which is the reason why HPV vaccination has been developed. If you develop warts, that means you are infected with HPV.
Now, the HPV that causes plantar warts is unrelated to sexual contact. Instead, it enters your body through a small break in your skin.
Lucky for some people, only one wart grows. Other times the infection spreads, and the warts appear in clusters of two, three, or even more. That is when you should start looking for help.
Remember, plantar warts are caused by a virus. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses like colds, do they? Plantar wart treatments, on the other hand, do not eliminate your HPV infection. They just deal with your viral symptom, the plantar wart.
As a result, plantar warts frequently reappear following therapy. For this reason, preventing infection is your greatest defense. To do so, you must first understand how plantar warts develop. That’s exactly what you’ll get if you keep reading!
Risk Factors For Plantar Warts
Plantar warts may affect everyone. Children between the ages of 12 and 16 are the ones who get them the most. What is the reason behind this? It’s entirely a matter of lifestyle.
As previously said, plantar warts are caused by a virus. Using a public shower, which adolescents frequently do in locker rooms and sleep away camps, is one method to get the virus. Younger children, of course, are also at risk due to the fact they frequently go around barefoot. All of these increases the likelihood of the virus entering small breaks in the foot.
Plantar Wart Symptoms
You’ll be able to tell if you’re suffering with plantar warts by looking at your feet. Among the signs and symptoms are:
You have developed a lesion on the bottom of your foot. In that wart lesion, you’ll notice black dots which are actually little blood vessels that supply the wart.
It hurts if you push on the sides of your wart. (This is referred to as lateral compression discomfort by podiatrists.)
At the wart’s location, your skin lines disappear.
When you stand, the region around your wart becomes painful.
Warts clearly cause discomfort and they’re also infectious. This is why plantar warts should be treated as soon as possible.
Preventing The Spread Of Plantar Warts
Plantar warts can take up to two years to disappear if they are not treated. Or spread over your foot and to the opposite foot. That is why it’s important to begin therapy as soon as you see lesions.
Over-The-Counter Medications
Are you tempted to take over-the-counter medications? That could be fine, but first see your doctor, especially if you have diabetes or other foot-related disorders. These at-home therapies are quite strong despite the fact that they are available without a prescription. And if you use them incorrectly, they might cause injury to your feet.
In-Office Treatments
In-office plantar wart treatments are safer and more successful. Plantar warts may now be treated using a number of various methods.
Wart removal using laser and freezing are uncomfortable procedures. But they do get the job done and get rid of warts over time. However, something was lacking.
Those conventional treatments not only destroyed wart tissue, but also the surrounding healthy tissue. As a result, some patients developed scars, and furthermore, warts reappear following treatment.
Thankfully, there is now a better solution to plantar warts that will not just eliminate them successfully, but also poses no risk of scarring— the Swift treatment for plantar warts.
Plantar Warts Treatment Options
To get rid of the plantar warts, the foot specialist at DeNiel Foot and Ankle Center might suggest using topical remedies like salicylic acid. It may take several weeks for such treatment to be effective. Burning, freezing with liquid nitrogen, laser therapy, and surgical removal, are more aggressive options for more severe conditions
Isn’t this fantastic? Well, we’re quite pumped about this long-term plantar wart treatment. The foot doctor at DeNiel Foot and Ankle Center would want to utilize it to help you permanently get rid of your plantar warts! So, get rid of your painful, infectious plantar warts right now. Give us a call and ask how we can help you get rid of your plantar warts.