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What is
Plantar Wart Excision?
Verruca pedis,
"plantar warts", can often be differentiated
from
helomata, "corns", by close
observation of skin
striations. Feet, like hands, are
covered in skin strić which are more
commonly called
fingerprints. Where verruca
pedis are present, the skin strić can be
observed as going around the lesion; where
the lesion is not verruca pedis, the
cell
DNA are not altered and the
striations continue across the top layer of
the skin. Furthermore, VPs tend to be
painful on application of pressure from
either side of the lesion rather than direct
pressure. Helomata tend to be the opposite
and are painful on direct pressure rather
than pressure from either side.
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Effects
of Plantar Wart Excision
Plantar warts are contagious and should be
treated because plantar warts, when left
untreated for years, can become cancerous.
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Candidates
for Plantar Wart Excision
These ugly bumps are more likely to appear on the feet of people
with: Multiple exposures to the virus,
damaged or cut skin and weakened immune
systems.
For reasons doctors don't understand, some people are more
susceptible to the wart-causing virus, just as some people
are more likely to catch a cold. Children and teenagers tend
to be especially vulnerable to warts.
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Your
Consultation
Most plantar warts aren't a serious health concern, but they may be
bothersome or painful, and they can be
resistant to treatment. You may need to see
your doctor to remove them.
See your doctor if your warts are painful or change in appearance
or color. Also see your doctor if warts persist, multiply or
recur, despite home treatment, or if warts interfere with
your activities. If you have diabetes or a circulatory
disorder, don't try to treat any plantar warts at home. See
your doctor for advice.
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The Plantar Wart Excision
Procedure
Plantar warts can be stubborn. Because of their location,
aggressive use of liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy)
is difficult in that it not only can be
painful, but swelling and soreness can
prevent walking for a number of days.
Often, paring the warts by thinning them down can be helpful.
The use of salicylic acid preparations that are applied
daily and covering the affected area will eat away at the
surface of the wart allowing it to be pared down. This may
make it more responsive to liquid nitrogen.
The use of duct tape to soften the lesions in some
individuals can be in itself curative. It appears that
changing the water content and making the skin mushy
enhances the patient’s ability to eradicate these warts.
Treatments such as surgery and scraping of these warts are
discouraged as scars can sometimes be painful on the
weight-bearing parts of the foot. The pulse dye laser can be
used once the wart has been thinned as it does not produce
scarring. Occlusion combining these therapies with Aldara
cream in some individuals is helpful.
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Recovery
There are a variety of ways to treat warts.
Over-the-counter medications have a
difficult time penetrating the thick skin on
the bottom of the foot, so they do not work
well in this area. Professional treatment
consists of burning the wart with topical
acids, freezing with liquid nitrogen, laser
surgery or cutting them out. All methods
have the possibility of the wart coming
back. Surgical excision of the wart has the
highest success rate with a relatively low
rate of recurrence. There is some mild
discomfort with this procedure and it takes
several weeks for the area to completely
heal. Normal activity can generally be
resumed in a few days depending on the size
and number of warts that have been removed.
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Risks
Warts may spread, develop into clusters or
fuse to become a
mosaic wart. Plantar warts can be
painful making it difficult to walk and run.
Over-aggressive treatment may lead to
scarring. Others may be infected. If a wart
is being treated professionally and does not
seem to improve in a reasonable period of
time, the growth should be excised and
biopsied.
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Frequently Asked
Questions
Q: What are plantar warts?
A:
Plantar warts are non-cancerous skin growths on the soles of
your feet caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which
enters your body through tiny cuts and breaks in your skin.
Plantar warts often develop beneath pressure points in your
feet, such as the heels or balls of your feet.
Q: Is there a difference between plantar warts and other
warts located elsewhere on the body?
A:
The difference between plantar warts and warts located
elsewhere on the body is the fact that warts are generally
outgrowth type lesions, but on the bottom of the foot they
are pushed inward due to the pressure of walking, plus the
fact that the skin on the bottom of the foot tends to be
thicker than skin elsewhere, making the treatment of plantar
warts more difficult
Q: How can I reduce risk of plantar warts?
A:
Do the following to avoid getting plantar warts:
·
Avoid walking barefoot in public areas such as showers,
communal changing rooms.
·
Change shoes and socks daily.
·
Avoid sharing shoes and socks.
·
Avoid direct contact with warts on other parts of body.
·
Avoid direct contact with warts on other persons.
Q: What are the signs and symptoms of plantar warts?
A:
Plantar warts are often mistaken
for corns or calluses. To make the distinction, look for:
·
Small, fleshy, grainy bumps on the soles of your
feet.
·
Hard, flat growths with a rough surface and
well-defined boundaries.
Gray or brown lumps with one or
more black pinpoints, which are actually small, clotted
blood vessels, not "wart seeds".
·
Bumps that interrupt the normal lines and ridges
in the skin of your feet.
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