plantar wart, or toe, looks like a flat, hard-to-the-touch formation on the skin of the foot, which rises slightly above the level of the skin. This type of wart refers to tumors of the epithelium, which are benign in nature, and the diagnosis, as a rule, does not cause difficulties - the main method is dermatoscopy. The doctor, using a special device, visually determines the nature of the new formation. Warts can appear anywhere on the foot, but they usually form on the tips of the toes, heels, ie where the pressure is greatest. The photo clearly shows what a plantar wart looks like, its appearance is quite specific and usually leaves no doubt about the diagnosis. The formation has an unpleasant dirty-brown or yellow color, characteristic coarse papules are visible that destroy the papillary patterns.
Since the formation is located on the foot, it can lead to pain and injury to the wart itself. For these reasons, the thorn should be treated, although there is a small chance that a plantar wart will go away on its own without serious treatment.
Unfortunately, getting rid of a wart is still not easy, so it is recommended to consult a dermatologist to reduce the risk of infecting other people, as well as to reduce the time for treatment of the disease. The use of exclusively folk remedies and independent attempts to get rid of the tumor are undesirable. The plantar wart has a deep root, which is almost impossible to remove on its own, therefore relapses occur. Folk remedies often severely damage the surrounding tissues, which can lead to an increase in the area of damage and unpleasant consequences in the form of burns and scars.
Symptoms
If you suspect a neoplasm, you should not only know what the plantar wart looks like in the photo, but also remember that the disease has characteristic symptoms:
- palpable itching at the site of formation;
- the size of the warts is from a few millimeters to 2 centimeters;
- unlike corns, a wart brings pain;
- bleeding in case of injury;
- pain when walking.
If you experience similar symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. It is easier to prevent a disease than to deal with the consequences.
Causes of a plantar wart
A plantar wart is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection on the foot. The main route of transmission is contact, infection occurs through common objects or directly from person to person. A favorable environment is heat and humidity, so it is important to take precautions when visiting a bath, swimming pool, sauna and gym.
The cause of the appearance can also be a weakened immune system, since in the normal state the human papilloma virus does not give visible manifestations.
This type of wart can also occur with microtraumas of the epidermis, dry skin, wearing tight uncomfortable shoes, hyperhidrosis. Also, the causes of a wart on the leg can be diseases leading to deformation of the foot - arthritis of the joints, arthrosis, flat feet, as well as diseases leading to a violation of the integrity of the skin of the foot: diabetes mellitus, varicose veins. It should be remembered that frequent stress can indirectly affect the occurrence of this disease.
HPV can be acquired by accident during normal barefoot walking on an infected surface, the virus can live for up to several months without a direct carrier. After entering the body, it may not manifest itself for several days or even weeks, which is why it is not always possible to know the exact moment of infection.
Diagnostic
To determine how to treat plantar warts, a dermatologist conducts a series of studies:
- General inspection;
- dermatoscopy;
- PCR diagnosis;
- histological examination.
How to cure plantar warts
When a plantar wart appears, the question arises of how to cure this neoplasm. When the growths cause excessive discomfort and spread rapidly, the best solution is to contact a dermatologist as soon as possible, he will select the most appropriate treatment option. There are several ways to solve this problem.
The most radical of them is operative: the wart and its roots are surgically removed. This method is not the most effective, since the roots of the neoplasm are located in the deep layers of the skin. In some cases, it is not possible to remove them completely.
Removal of warts can be carried out using laser and electrocoagulation, as well as cryotherapy.
In addition to removal in medical institutions, plantar warts can be removed with less drastic methods, such as ointments, solutions, special patches, as well as folk remedies. These means for removing plantar warts have a number of advantages and disadvantages, the main of which is the long duration of treatment.
Removal of plantar warts
One of the most common ways to remove plantar warts is to remove them in specialized medical institutions. The dermatologist at the appointment should tell you in detail how to get rid of plantar warts and, based on the results of the examination, choose the most suitable method. Despite the fact that thorns are difficult to cure, there is no specific specific way to remove them, all relevant methods in the treatment of other types of warts are used. Removal of plantar warts can be done on an outpatient basis, but your doctor can prescribe remedies to help you remove the growths at home.
Surgical removal of warts
Along with other treatment methods, surgery is used to remove the warts. The wart is scraped off with a special scalpel under local anesthesia. After this procedure, if the plantar wart was of considerable size, sutures are placed under the skin, which are removed within one to two weeks. The wound site is treated with a disinfectant solution and an aseptic dressing is applied. Usually there is a small scar at the removal site.
The difficulty with this method is that the doctor must remove all the roots during the operation, otherwise the plantar wart will reappear. Therefore, this method is used today only if all other treatment methods have been ineffective.
Elimination with liquid nitrogen
Removal with liquid nitrogen involves exposing the neoplasm to extremely low temperatures, it is the most common modern and fastest way to treat a plantar wart.
The method is based on freezing the forming tissue itself. In fact, inside the cells of the wart, under the influence of an extremely low temperature of -196 degrees Celsius, ruptures occur, leading to the death of the wart.
Cryodestruction is carried out manually or by equipment. If the wart is large or the procedure is performed on a child, then it becomes necessary to use local anesthesia.
Exposure time directly to liquid nitrogen can be up to 30 seconds. After the first cauterization, the physician should pause to assess the effectiveness of the impact and the need for re-cauterization.
After freezing, a bubble with a colorless or reddish liquid forms on the site of the wart, which indicates the beginning of the inflammatory process. This is a normal reaction to the cautery procedure.
Cryosurgery is considered painless, but in the treatment of plantar warts, it must be repeated several times to achieve the final effect. After the wart falls off, there is no scar left.
The benefits of liquid nitrogen removal are:
- freezing eliminates the spread of the disease to the nearest skin;
- lack of special training;
- short duration of the procedure;
- the chances of developing scarring or scarring are minimal.
The disadvantages of cryodestruction of plantar warts are:
- the need for a second course with a large surface of damage or due to the size of the wart;
- the human factor - the professionalism of the doctor performing this procedure is a guarantee of success. The doctor must correctly assess the time and degree of tissue exposure to nitrogen, otherwise a burn may occur;
- the discomfort of a swollen bladder and the need to treat it are also considered disadvantages of the method.
Generally, the feedback on the treatment of plantar warts by cauterization with liquid nitrogen is positive, as it is the simplest, most effective and affordable method.
Laser removal
Laser removal is considered one of the most effective and safest methods. After laser treatment, the wart ceases to be contagious. The procedure itself is painless, a special nozzle is built into the laser, which cools the impact site. In addition, one or more anesthetic injections are administered before the operation. The patient usually feels a slight tingling sensation during the procedure. After removal of the neoplasm, no traces remain, since the laser directly burns the diseased tissue. The laser method allows maximum control of the depth of exposure, which is individual in each case. Therefore, even with deep tissue damage, it is possible to completely remove the roots, which means preventing the regrowth of the wart.
The operation takes place under sterile conditions, there is no direct contact with the skin or the wart, and the duration of the operation is only a few minutes. The positive results of laser plantar wart removal also make this method the most attractive.
The main disadvantage of laser plantar wart removal is the high cost, which usually includes a doctor's consultation, anesthesia, and the operation itself. In addition, the wound after removal heals for a long time and requires compliance with hygiene rules.
Treatment of plantar warts
Before treating a plantar wart, you need to make sure that the diagnosis is accurate, and then proceed directly to the procedures. In addition to surgery, your doctor may prescribe immunotherapy and topical medications.
The need for immunotherapy, as a rule, is justified, since the disease is caused by a virus, which actively develops in a weakened state of the body. Topical immunotherapies directly affect the virus in two ways. In the first case, the drug stimulates the immune system, and in the second, an antigen is injected into the body of the wart, which also activates the immune system, so that the wart can disappear faster.
Treatment of a plantar wart takes quite a long time, it is important not to forget about strengthening the immune system and maintaining hygiene. If removal and treatment are not used, the wart can disappear on its own for more than a year, while the person is a source of infection for everyone. You need to carefully consider this unpleasant disease and be sure to contact a dermatologist who will definitely tell you how and how to treat a plantar wart.
The treatment of a plantar wart directly depends on compliance with all hygiene standards and doctor's prescriptions; daily treatment of training is the guarantee of successful healing.
Home treatment
Any new formation on the skin should not be ignored as the tension of cancer is increasing all over the world. Do not ignore the appointment with a specialist, he can prescribe the treatment of a plantar wart at home. In this case, special solutions, ointments and a wart removal patch are usually prescribed.
Ointments are one of the most gentle methods of treatment, they act on the wart itself, as a result of which it dies and gradually disappears. The following types of ointments are used in treatment:
- antiviral ointment;
- acid-based ointment;
- various herbal ointments.
Any type of ointment is spot-applied to the wart several times a day according to the instructions. When treating a plantar wart, before applying the drug, it must first be steamed in warm water. It is advisable to apply any ointment at night so that you do not have to step on the formation and wash off the ointment.
To get rid of plantar warts at home, you can use a special salicylic acid patch. This tool has a low cost and proven effectiveness. The patch is sold in pharmacies without a prescription, the principle of its use is very simple - a wart is sealed with a piece of a patch, and a regular medical patch is fixed on top. You should change the patch at regular intervals. Removal of a small wart can take about two weeks, and you should not leave the wart unpatched for a long time. As the treatment progresses, the surface of the wart decreases, after 12 hours it becomes covered with a crust, which then disappears. After successful treatment, a small pinkish spot remains on the skin, which should disappear completely over time.
When applying the patch, care should be taken - when applying, healthy areas of skin should be avoided, otherwise severe irritation may occur. There are contraindications to using this method of wart removal, so the decision to prescribe the patch should be made by the doctor.
Another way to treat plantar warts at home is hyperthermia. Feet with warts are immersed in the hottest water possible. These procedures are repeated several times. In some cases, hyperthermia shows a positive effect. The mechanism of the procedure is based on the excitation of small blood vessels in the legs and the activation of local immunity.
At home, you can use low-temperature treatment by analogy with the removal of warts with liquid nitrogen. To do this, you can use pens-applicators or special sprays. As with cryosurgery, multiple applications may be required.
Treatment with folk remedies
Despite the fact that modern drugs are much more effective, and with their help the process of removing plantar warts is faster, the effectiveness of treatment with folk remedies cannot be denied. Traditional medicine has accumulated extensive experience in the fight against warts, and some methods remain effective.
- Celandine juice is one of the most popular means of removing thorns. You can use the juice of a fresh plant or buy a medicine in a pharmacy that contains, in addition to celandine juice, other plant extracts. The juice is applied once or twice a day to the affected area.
- Acetic acid, as well as various additional products, is also used to remove warts. In addition to acid, onions and flour are used. You can drip directly and the acid itself on the affected area, but this method is quite dangerous due to the high risk of severe burns.
- Apple cider vinegar: a swab soaked in a solution (it is important not to use undiluted vinegar) is applied to the affected area of the skin, the skin area is pre-treated with an abrasive nail file.
- Garlic is another popular remedy for treating warts. Raw garlic should be rubbed into the formation until it completely disappears, but this method can be used no longer than three weeks.
- Banana peel is applied with the inside on the affected area of the skin, it is believed that it can stretch the wart.
In order to dot the site of the lesion and not affect the adjacent tissues, you can use a piece of adhesive tape. A hole is made in it depending on the size of the neoplasm, and the adjacent healthy skin remains intact. This prevents burns and other injuries.
Plantar wart in a child
With age, a person develops immunity to HPV, so children and young people are more susceptible to this infection. Most often the disease affects children over the age of five. A doctor will help recognize a plantar wart in a child, because in some cases it can look like old corn.
Although plantar warts in a child disappear on their own, their treatment should not be ignored, it is also worth remembering about the possibility of infecting the whole family and those around them. A plantar wart in a child almost always causes severe painful discomfort when walking, so it requires timely treatment and a visit to a doctor.
Since children are sensitive to pain, it is quite difficult to find therapy. To begin with, it is worth using various ointments - they are affordable, convenient to use and effective. Folk remedies are also widely used, the safety of which is beyond doubt.
Effective methods for removing plantar warts in children are liquid nitrogen and laser removal. Removal of warts using these methods is one of the most drastic methods. They are used in the event that solutions and ointments do not have the desired effect.
After treatment, it is important not to forget about the prevention of plantar warts in children. It's about strengthening the immune system, having good hygiene and wearing the right comfortable shoes. It should be remembered that the risk of infection is especially high in public places and from another person, so you need to make sure that the child does not walk in someone else's shoes or barefoot. Anything that has come into direct contact with the formation should be thoroughly washed at high temperatures. All these actions will help prevent the development of the virus in the future.
Danger
If the plantar wart removal procedure is not carried out in time, it can lead to serious consequences, such as:
- the appearance of warts on other areas of the skin;
- skin cancer.
Doctors strongly advise against self-medication - cutting, piercing, or cauterizing warts will make the condition worse and cause new warts to form.
Risk group
The risk group is:
- people with hormonal disorders in the body;
- HIV infected.
Prevention
For the prevention of plantar warts, patients are recommended:
- strengthen immunity;
- eat more foods rich in vitamins;
- properly care for the skin of the feet;
- do not wear tight shoes, shoes made of synthetic materials;
- in public places (changing rooms, showers) do not walk barefoot.