If a hard and rough papule with a rough top appears on the soles of the feet, this is either a plantar wart or a callus. The differences are significant, primarily in the origin and treatment methods. The wart grows like a sharp thorn in the inner layer of the skin of the foot, causing severe pain. Doctors recommend removing this swelling in the skin if it gets damaged by shoes and becomes inflamed.
The appearance of the outgrowth on the sole of the foot
The bulk of the common wart on the foot grows inward into the dermis. The reason is that the tumor is pressed from the outside by hard surfaces: shoes, various coatings that we walk on. New growth cells appear from the soft tissues of the skin. In the photo of the plantar wart, a dense plaque or roll is visible from the outside. The surface of the formation is devoid of skin lines, consisting of scales of the horny substance. The adjacent skin changes: it becomes denser, covered with a layer of keratin.
What a plantar wart looks like:
- a lump or plaque raised above the epidermis by 1-5 mm;
- shape is round, oval or polygonal;
- the surface is hard and rough to the touch;
- color pink, yellow-white or grayish;
- formation diameter from 1 to 20 mm;
- papillary pattern is missing;
- edges are well defined.
A wart on the foot is characterized by acute pain that interferes with walking, up to temporary disability.
A buildup occurs in areas exposed to intense pressure and sweat. Typical localization of the wart on the sole: heels, foot pads and toes. Painful and difficult to remove formations appear at the edge of the nail and under the nail plate. Inside all types of warts, there are blood vessels that feed living tissue, cells that multiply intensively. Small black dots are visible on the surface - blood clots in the capillaries; they may soften when the stratum corneum is cut.
Plantar warts are most common in school-age children. Hos ca. 30% of patients disappear such formations by themselves within the first year. However, it is recommended to start treatment when the first symptoms appear, especially if the plantar wart hurts or there is a high risk of infection in the surrounding people. Infection is also dangerous when a group of formations appear in an area, the individual papules fuse together into a mosaic plaque.
Warts - a manifestation of papillomavirus
The skin on your feet is often damaged, compressed and sweaty when you wear tight and uncomfortable shoes. If thin-walled blisters occur with a clear liquid inside, then this is grain. Sometimes a layer of keratin forms on the surface, but still the typical skin lines remain.
The appearance of a wart on the soles of the feet first goes unnoticed or is perceived as the formation of a callus. It is necessary to look closely at the surface of the formation and pay attention to the characteristic signs. This is severe keratinization, absence of skin lines, tenderness when the surrounding skin is compressed. These are the results of the active reproduction of papillomavirus in living cells in the epithelium.
Causes of plantar warts:
- papillomavirus (HPV) infection;
- weakening of local and general immune system;
- activation of the virus, penetration into epithelial cells;
- increased multiplication and rapid keratinization of infected cells.
HPV is transmitted through household and sexual contact. Infectious substances penetrate even through minor damage to the skin and mucous membranes: cracks, cuts, crying.
Papillomaviruses of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 27th and 57th type mainly infect cells located in the skin of the foot. The plantar type of growth of viral origin belongs to simple formations (common, vulgar). According to the international classification of diseases, they are infectious and parasitic diseases. ICD-10 class: "Viral infections characterized by lesions of the skin and mucous membranes. "
Simple warts are benign epithelial tumors. They do not initially pose a health hazard. Sometimes such growths undergo malignant transformation into a cancerous tumor. The process is more often triggered by HPV types for which a high risk of developing cancer has been established.
Treatment of foot wart
After infection, the incubation period begins: the papillomavirus invades cells and "reformats" their reproduction and development. Much more often, the infection becomes latent, and in such an inactive state, it can exist throughout the organism. In this case, immunity suppresses the papillomavirus, puts it to sleep without special therapy.
Plantar warts can occur 3-10 years later or appear several weeks after infection and then disappear in the first year or within two years.
Not everyone is ready to wait and expect spontaneous healing and cleansing of the skin against growth. Many people go to the doctor at the first sign of HPV infection. Dermatologists suggest using modern methods to remove warts, recommend antiviral therapy agents, strengthen the skin and the whole body's immune system.
If it is necessary to determine the type of HPV for an appropriate choice of therapy, your doctor will prescribe several further tests. A biopsy is performed to collect histological material, an analysis is performed to determine antibodies to papillomavirus.
Treatment Options:
- Use of special medicines for plantar warts. Dissolution and exfoliation of dead cells occurs.
- Laser excision of simple neoplasms with the formation of a scab during which healing takes place. The crust disappears 7-10 days after the procedure.
- Cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen. Large warts are removed in several procedures. When exposed to low temperatures, a bubble appears as after a combustion.
- Electrocoagulation using an electrode through which a high frequency current is applied to destroy pathological tissues. Painful procedure accompanied by a strong odor of burning skin.
- Surgical removal.
- Drug Injection.
At the beginning of the treatment it is recommended to use a special plaster at home. This affordable remedy is used after softening the wart on the foot with warm water and cleansing it from the keratinized layers using nail clippers and pumice. Then apply a plaster. The course of treatment lasts an average of 1-3 months.
Prevention
Papillomavirus can last in the environment for a long time. It is necessary to keep the feet clean, do not walk without shoes, especially in public changing rooms, bathrooms, in the pool. It is necessary to use special slippers to protect the soles of the feet from contact with surfaces contaminated with particles from other people's skin. Also, do not use someone else's socks and shoes.
Do not scratch the wart, otherwise similar growth will appear on other parts of the leg.
Papillomavirus is extremely contagious. Disinfect accessories for daily hygiene and medication. Socks and a foot towel should be washed thoroughly with warm water, a pair of scissors, a nail file, a pumice stone should be disinfected. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after touching the training, various medical procedures.