Does your child go to the pool and come back with bumps under their feet? Don’t delay. He may have caught contagious plantar warts. If you are an adult, you should know that this problem can also affect you.
What is a plantar wart?
A plantar wart is a lesion on the skin caused by a virus, the papillomavirus or human papillomavirus. Small blackheads and a crust of hard skin or horns can sometimes be observed at the lesion. It is important to recognize and eliminate them as quickly as possible before they grow and spread. This virus is found on the ground and is usually caught by walking barefoot. This is why they are more often found in children. It is therefore advisable to wear sandals, shoes or stockings in public places to avoid contamination. A good cleaning of the shower and bath at home is also recommended.
How to remove or treat plantar warts at home?
Grandma’s remedies such as essential oils and duct tape to remove the wart root are not effective. Several products are available in pharmacies. There are salicylic acid dressings (Compound W) and cold treatments (cryotherapy) that try to destroy the wart with liquid nitrogen. However, these types of treatments are often too weak to eliminate the virus completely. Sometimes, their ineffectiveness even causes an increase in the size of warts and the development of new warts.
Why won’t my wart go away and hurt?
It is important to make the correct diagnosis and not to confuse your wart with other skin problems such as fungus, blisters, corns or calluses. This could explain the failure of basic treatments and the pain.
Who should I consult or see to treat and remove my wart?
The podiatrist will be able to offer you more effective treatments to treat and quickly remove your plantar wart that seems impossible to treat and ensure the correct diagnosis;
- Treatment with prescription salicylic acid cream
- Treatment with acid, cantharidin and podophyllin
- Bleomycin injection (click to learn more about this treatment for resistant warts)
- Surgical curettage
The podiatrist will also be able to tell you when the wart virus has died. To do this, he uses a specialized lamp called a dermatoscope. This allows him to see the signs of plantar warts or to notice their absence as if in a magnifying glass.
The clinical examination of your podiatrist during a treatment of nails and skin (foot care) allows to detect and treat plantar warts.
