Warts are a common skin condition that can affect up to 10% of the population at any time. Warts are caused by the human papilloma virus, which is passed from person to person directly or in warm, wet locations such as swimming pool changing rooms. Warts can occur anywhere on the body, but are particularly common on the hands and feet.
Most warts are not painful and although they are noticeable on the body, they are not in any way dangerous to have. Warts which occur on the feet are called plantar warts and as they may cause pain and discomfort when walking, there are several products and methods on the market for plantar wart removal.
Avoiding catching plantar warts
As plantar warts are spread by direct skin to skin contact or by wet surfaces in places like changing rooms, avoid direct contact with people who are suffering from warts and if going to the swimming pool or the gym ensure that you wear plastic sandals such as flip flops in the changing rooms and showers when you’re at the swimming pool or other communal area to minimize the contact between your feet and the floor. If you have plantar warts on your feet, it is common courtesy to wear special socks in the swimming pool or in the gym to ensure that you don’t spread your warts to others. Also ensure that you do not share towels if you or another family member is affected with warts on any part of the body.
Treatment
Warts are not dangerous and given time, disappear on their own. They are generally not painful and apart from looking odd, do no harm to the person who has them. However with warts on the feet the constant pressure from walking and moving around means that the wart cannot grow outwards from the skin, but inwards into the tissue of the foot. This can make the wart quite painful. For this reason, many people with warts on the foot decide to treat them as soon as they appear to try to stop the problem before it starts.
The first method to try to remove warts on the soles of the feet is buying an over the counter treatment containing salicylic acid. These liquids are dropped directly on to the wart and gradually over time the acid eats away at the wart and eventually eliminates it completely. While the wart is being treated it is important to keep it covered with a small bandage or a band aid. Care must also be taken to ensure that the acid is applied only to the wart and not to the surrounding skin as it will burn healthy skin as well as warts.
Next steps
For most people with plantar warts, the treatment with the salicylic acid preparations will be sufficient to get rid of their warts. For people with particularly stubborn warts, the choice is either a stronger version of the acid which is available only from the doctor which might have a greater effect. The other option for stubborn warts is cryotherapy, or freezing them off using liquid nitrogen. The doctor places a small tube over the wart and then sprays liquid nitrogen down the tube to cover just the surface of the wart. It is a very quick and simple procedure to carry out, and there are few side effects. Warts can also be cut out using a scalpel, but this method means that there could be scarring and a local anesthetic will also need to be applied before the wart is cut out.
