Warts
Verrucas, also known as Plantar warts, is a soft tissue condition that manifests on the soles of the feet and can be highly painful. These warts usually appear as hard and flat patches with a rough surface and clearly defined boundaries. They often appear gray or brown but the color can vary. Usually the center of the wart appears to have one or more black pinpoint structures. Verrucas are usually contracted by walking barefoot on warm and moist, unclean surfaces. Some of the typical locations for transmission include: public pools, locker rooms, hot tubs, bathhouses and spas.
Plantar warts are highly contagious and can be transmitted rather easily. Touching, scratching or through contact with skin shed from another wart. In certain cases the wart might bleed which can increase.
Plantar warts, also known as verrucas, appear on the soles of the feet and are one of several soft tissue conditions that can be quite painful. Unlike other foot warts, plantar warts tend to be hard and flat, with a rough surface and well-defined boundaries. They are often gray or brown (but the color may vary), with a center that appears as one or more pinpoints of black. Plantar warts are often contracted by walking barefoot on dirty surfaces or littered ground. The virus that causes plantar warts thrives in warm, moist environments, making infection a common occurrence in public pools and locker rooms.
When this condition forms on the weight-bearing areas of the foot (the heel or the ball of the foot) a sharp, burning pain is often experienced when weight is put directly on the wart.
To prevent the spread of warts follow these basic tips:
- Avoid direct contact with warts
- Try to limit walking barefoot
- Change socks daily
- If you have children, check their feet regularly
- Keep feet dry and clean
It is important to understand that warts can be highly resistant to treatment and have a tendency to reappear, even after treatment appears successful. Over-the-counter treatments are usually ineffective because they can inadvertently annihilate healthy surrounding tissue. Please contact us for help in effectively treating warts. At East Ocean Podiatry we recommend the best indicated treatment for every patient, ranging from prescription ointments to medications and in the most severe cases, having the wart cauterized.
