Have a thickened, round bump that is painful with pressure? There’s a chance you have a wart. A wart is a growth, often found on the bottom of the foot that has a viral cause manifesting in the skin.
What exactly is a wart?
A wart is the culmination of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that has taken root in the layers of the skin. It involves all the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, and into the papillary layer of the deeper skin layer, the dermis.
A Wart or a Callus?
The main difference with a wart will be dark black spots within the lesions, remnants of the tiny arteries that supply the skin. There will also be an interruption of the normal skin lines of the foot. Calluses tend to be painful with direct pressure, warts you will find hurt if you squeeze them side to side. Warts have their own blood supply and are noted to bleed if picked and can even be seen beating to your own heartbeat!
How Do We Confirm the Diagnosis?
Most of the confirmation we need in the office is our physical exam. Given the differences noted above, we usually have a good idea of what we are dealing with. Occasionally a biopsy can be sent to rule out other things on our list but is often not necessary.
How Do I Get Rid of It?
Here at Ankle and Foot Centers of Tennessee we have several options…
- Cantharone
- This is a compound containing canthiridin, a chemical compounded from the Blister Beetle, this causes – you guessed it – a small, localized blister over the lesion. This allows us to scrape away the outer layers of the skin without pain as your body pushes out the wart tissue and replaces it with new skin.
- Laser Therapy
- In our office we are fortunate to have access to our (insert laser machine). This allows us to use the focused laser to remove the wart entirely. We make sure the area is numb and have great success with single treatment.
- Surgical Excision
- There are times where warts are exceedingly stubborn, in rare cases we will go to the OR or perform in-office excision of the wart.
Preventing Recurrence?
Now that we gotten rid of the wart, how do we keep our feet clear? Unfortunately, some people are more prone to getting warts than others. Regardless here are a few easy tips!
- Keep your feet covered while walking in public places. Warts are contagious and the virus exposure should be limited, especially in public showers, pools etc
- Wash your feet regularly to keep up hygiene and check your feet often. An early wart is much easier to treat than advanced clusters.
- Avoid sharing footgear, shoes, socks…remember warts are contagious!