A plantar wart is a non-cancerous growth caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). It occurs on the sole or toes of the foot. It is often shaped like a cauliflower with a small black spot visible in the center.
Because of the pressure from standing and walking, the wart grows more inwardly than outwardly, and a layer of thick skin builds up on the surface.
To the sufferer, a plantar wart is painful and ugly.
These viruses are spread through direct contact. They are found on warm, damp walking surfaces such as those in locker rooms, showers, and swimming pool change rooms. They can also be caught by sharing shoes or socks. They gain entrance to the body through tiny cracks in the human foot of which the owner may not even be aware.
If you suspect you have a plantar wart, you should consult your doctor to make sure it is, in fact, not a more serious condition. He can also treat the wart. Sometimes a person's immune system will eventually destroy it, but the process can take up to two years. There is also a chance that, instead of getting better, the wart will spread.
A plantar wart can be a challenging affliction, but the doctor has several treatment options:
* Salicylic acid. This can be purchased over-the-counter in a drug store and applied daily either as a patch or in a solution. The dead skin must be rubbed away either with a nail file or a pumice stone each day. This method may take about four weeks.
* Cryotherapy. The doctor can use liquid nitrogen to "freeze" the wart and a blister is formed underneath it. This method may be painful and frightening for children, but if it works, you'll get results more quickly
* Duct tape. Apply a piece of duct tape, a little larger than the wart, over the top of it. This will deprive it of the oxygen it needs to survive. After six days, remove the tape and clean the area. Use a nail file or pumice stone to remove dead skin, then reapply the tape. This method may take six to eight weeks.
* Surgical removal with a laser. This procedure is expensive and may be painful. Multiple treatments are needed, usually four to six, once a month until the wart is gone.
* Surgical excision. This method is quite effective but will leave a scar. If the wart recurs, you'll have the wart plus the scar.
* Immunotherapy. The doctor injects antigens directly into the wart in an attempt to trigger a response from the sufferers' immune system which will attack the virus causing the wart.
* More modern chemotherapy treatments are being tested and becoming available all the time.
The virus is highly contagious. Guard against spreading it while you're being treated and waiting for your plantar wart to disappear.
The treatment that will be effective varies with each person, and studies have shown that none of the above treatments was more than 73% effective. In fact, 23% of patients treated with a placebo had their warts disappear.
It may be concluded that the best way to guard against getting a plantar wart is to follow a healthy lifestyle, to keep your immune system strong, and to avoid walking in bare feet in public areas, such as showers and changing rooms.
As additional precautions, do not share shoes or socks with anyone, and avoid touching warts on other people.
Fortunately, we acquire immunity to warts with age, so the infection is more common in children than in adults.
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