Warts

 

Warts, also known as Verrucae, are caused by the Verrucae Virus.

The Virus gets into the cells of the epidermis layer of the skin, and causes the cells to multiply rapidly. This results in a strange looking lesion.

Plantar Warts, are called as such because they are found on the plantar surface, (under the foot), of the foot. With pressure of the bodies weight the warty lesion is pushed into the deeper layers of the dermis layer of the skin thus introduces nerves and blood vessels into the lesion. This is why they are so painful and can bled or have blood spots in the lesion.

 

Often warts get confused with corns, and vise versa.

 

So it is important to get a proper diagnosis.

 

Signs:

 

- Corns form over bony prominences, whilst Warts can form anywhere.

- Corns are usually only painful with direct pressure, whilst Warts can be painful with squeezing rather than direct pressure.

- Corns are generally a yellow colour depending on the depth, whilst Warts usually have a strange appearance with a non even border.

 

Treatment:

 

They are difficult to treat and finally get rid of.

Often a proper diagnosis is required to determine whether it is a wart or a corn.

Often Podiatrists use Silver nitrate to check for protein in the lesion.

 

After diagnosis the Podiatrist may recommend using a wart paint from the chemist for frequent application.

Take care when using wart paints as they use acid to soften the skin, but in some cases may cause burning and blistering of the skin. Worse case scenario would be for the skin to ulcerate and become infected.

It is this reason that wart paints are not recommended for use by people who have Diabetes.

Treatment may be assisted by using padding around the area to relieve pressure on the lesion.

Podiatrists are experts at using padding for such conditions.

 

To make an appointment for any of the above conditions, please call us... or send an enquiry e-mail

 

To read more about various foot conditions, please click here