Plantar wart
|
|
Plantar warts (verruca pedis; VP) are warts caused by the human papilloma virus. They are small lesions that appear on the sole of the foot and are cauliflower in appearance and may have small black specks within them. Due to pressure on the soles of the feet, a layer of hard skin forms over the wart. A plantar wart may or may not be painful. It can be spread in communal showers, around swimming pools, sharing shoes etc.
Verruca_on_ball_of_foot.jpg
There are many treatment options to remove plantar warts. Home treatments are available from pharmacies that are based on mild acid formulas to remove the wart tissue with multiple applications. Some health professionals recommend the application of small amounts of banana or banana skin pulp to the wart (eg under a sticking plaster) which may kill the wart in 1-12 weeks. Options to treat stubborn warts include freezing (cryotherapy), burning with an electric current (electrosurgery), burning with stronger acids, laser and surgical excision. A more mild remedy that has been shown to be more effective than cryotherapy is known as "tape occlusion,"—simply keeping the wart dry and covered with common duct tape.
Verrucae pedis "plantar warts" can often be differentiated from helomas "Corns" by close observation of skin striations. Feet, like hands, are covered in skin stria which are more commonly called fingerprints. Where verrucae pedis are present, the skin stria can be observed as going around the lesion; where the lesion is not verrucae pedis, the cell DNA are not altered and the striations continue across the top layer of the skin.
Furthermore, VPs tend to be painful on application of pressure from either side of the lesion rather than direct pressure. Helomas tend to be the opposite and are painful on direct pressure rather than pressure from either side.