Plantar Warts
Plantar warts are skin growths caused by certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). They develop on the bottom of the foot and can become painful because body weight presses them inward.
How Can I Tell a Plantar Wart From a Callus?
Warts may interrupt normal skin lines and can contain tiny dark dots representing small blood vessels. Calluses generally develop over pressure points and preserve a more uniform pattern of thickened skin.
Because the two can resemble each other, professional evaluation is helpful when the diagnosis is uncertain.
Are Plantar Warts Contagious?
Yes. The virus can spread through direct contact and contaminated surfaces, particularly in warm, damp environments.
Avoid picking at a wart and avoid sharing items that directly contact the affected skin.
When Should a Podiatrist Treat a Wart?
Seek treatment when the lesion is painful, spreading, persistent, repeatedly returns, or when you are uncertain whether it is actually a wart.
People with diabetes, neuropathy, or circulation problems should avoid self-treatment with potentially damaging wart-removal products unless advised by a healthcare professional.
Plantar Wart FAQs
Can plantar warts disappear naturally?
Some eventually resolve through the immune response, but others can persist for months or longer.
Why does my wart hurt when I walk?
Pressure from standing and walking can push the wart inward against sensitive tissue.
Should I cut a plantar wart out myself?
No. Cutting the lesion can cause injury, bleeding, infection, and spread.
Can plantar warts come back after treatment?
Yes. Recurrence is possible because treatment must eliminate infected tissue while the immune system also plays a role in controlling the virus.
Contact Bay Podiatry Associates
For evaluation of a suspicious, painful, or persistent growth on the foot, contact Bay Podiatry Associates in Brooklyn.
Bay Podiatry Associates
8635 21 St Ave Suite 1C, Brooklyn, NY 11214
Phone: (718) 266-1986
Website: baypodiatrybrooklyn.com