Since the formation is located on the foot, this can lead to painful sensations and injury to the wart itself. For these reasons, the spine must be treated, although there is a small chance that the plantar wart will go away on its own without serious treatment.
Unfortunately, it is still not easy to get rid of a wart, so it is recommended to see a dermatologist to reduce the risk of infecting other people, as well as to shorten the treatment time for the disease. The use of exclusively folk remedies and independent attempts to get rid of the tumor are undesirable. The plantar wart has a deep root, which is almost impossible to remove on its own, so relapses occur. Folk remedies often severely injure the surrounding tissue, which can lead to an increase in the area of the lesion and unpleasant consequences in the form of burns and scars.
Symptoms
If you suspect the appearance of a neoplasm, you should not only know what a plantar wart looks like in the photo, but also remember that the disease has characteristic symptoms:
- palpable itching at the site of formation;
- the size of warts from a few millimeters to 2 centimeters;
- unlike corns, a wart is painful;
- bleeding when damaged;
- pain when walking.
If you find yourself with similar symptoms, see your doctor immediately. It is easier to prevent a disease than to deal with the consequences.
Causes of the plantar wart
A plantar wart occurs when the foot is affected by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The main route of transmission is contact, infection occurs through shared objects or directly from person to person. The favorable environment is warm and humid, so it is important to take precautions when visiting the bathhouse, pool, sauna and gym.
Weakened immunity can also serve as the cause of the occurrence, since in a normal state the human papillomavirus does not give visible manifestations.
This type of wart can also occur with microtraumas of the epidermis, dry skin, when wearing tight uncomfortable shoes, hyperhidrosis. Also, the causes of warts on the leg can be diseases that lead to deformation of the feet - arthritis of the joints, osteoarthritis, flat feet, as well as diseases that lead to a violation of the integrity of the skin of the foot: diabetes mellitus, varicose veins. It must be remembered that frequent stress can indirectly affect the onset of this disease.
HPV can be acquired by accident during normal walking barefoot on an infected surface; the virus can live up to several months without an immediate carrier. After entering the body, it may not manifest itself for several days or even weeks, which is why it is not always possible to know the exact time of infection.
Diagnostics
To determine how to treat plantar warts, a dermatologist does a number of studies:
- general inspection;
- dermatoscopy;
- PCR diagnostics;
- histological examination.
How to cure plantar warts
When a plantar wart appears, the question arises of how to cure this neoplasm. When the growths are uncomfortable and spread quickly, the best solution is to see a dermatologist as soon as possible, he will select the most appropriate treatment option. There are several ways to solve this problem.
The most radical of them is operative: the wart and its roots are surgically removed. This method is not the most effective, since the roots of the neoplasm are located in the deep layers of the skin. In some cases, it is not possible to completely remove them.
Removal of warts can be performed using laser and electrocautery, as well as using cryotherapy.
In addition to removal in medical institutions, plantar warts can be removed with less radical methods, such as ointments, solutions, special plasters, as well as folk remedies. These remedies for removing plantar warts have a number of their advantages and disadvantages, the main of which is the long treatment time.
Removal of plantar warts
One of the most common ways to remove plantar warts is to remove them in specialized hospitals. The dermatologist at the appointment should tell you in detail how to get rid of plantar warts, and, based on the results of the examination, choose the most appropriate method. Despite the fact that the thorns are difficult to cure, there is no special specific means of removing them; all methods are used that are appropriate in the treatment of other types of warts. Plantar warts can be treated on an outpatient basis, but your doctor may prescribe remedies to help remove the growths at home.
Surgical removal of warts
Surgery is used along with other treatments to remove warts. The wart is scraped out with a special scalpel under local anesthesia. After this procedure, if the plantar wart is significant, sutures are applied under the skin, which are removed within one to two weeks. The wound site is treated with a disinfectant solution and an aseptic bandage is applied. There is usually a small scar at the site of removal.
The difficulty of this method is that during the operation the doctor must remove all the roots, otherwise the plantar wart will reappear. Therefore, this method is used today only if all other methods of treatment turned out to be ineffective.
Removal with liquid nitrogen
Removal with liquid nitrogen implies exposure of the neoplasm to extremely low temperatures; this is the most common modern and fastest way to treat a plantar wart.
The method is based on freezing the tissue itself. In fact, inside the cells of the wart, under the influence of an extremely low temperature of –196 degrees Celsius, ruptures occur, leading to the death of the wart.
Cryodestruction is carried out manually or by hardware. If the wart is large or the procedure is performed on a child, then it becomes necessary to use local anesthesia, usually novocaine.
The exposure time directly to liquid nitrogen is up to 30 seconds. After the first cauterization, the doctor should pause to assess the effectiveness of the effect and the need for repeated cauterization.
After freezing, a bubble with a colorless or reddish liquid forms at the site of the wart, which indicates the onset of the inflammatory process. This is a normal reaction to the moxibustion procedure.
Cryodestruction is considered painless, but when treating plantar warts, it must be repeated several times to achieve the final effect. After the wart falls off, no scars remain.
The advantages of liquid nitrogen removal are:
- freezing excludes further spread of the disease to the nearest skin;
- lack of special training;
- short duration of the procedure;
- the risks of developing scars or scars are minimal.
The disadvantages of cryodestruction of plantar warts are:
- the need for a repeated course with a large area of the lesion or because of the size of the wart;
- the human factor - the professionalism of the doctor performing this procedure is a guarantee of success. The doctor must correctly assess the time and degree of exposure to nitrogen on the tissues, otherwise a burn may form;
- the discomfort that a swollen bladder brings and the need to treat it are also considered disadvantages of the method.
In general, reviews on the treatment of plantar warts with the method of moxibustion with liquid nitrogen are positive, since this is the simplest, most effective and affordable way.
Laser removal
Laser removal is considered one of the most effective and safest techniques. After laser treatment, the wart ceases to be infectious. The procedure itself is painless; a special nozzle is built into the laser, which cools the site of exposure. Additionally, one or more pain-relieving injections are given before the operation. The patient usually feels a slight tingling sensation during the procedure. After removal of the neoplasm, no traces remain, since the laser burns directly the diseased tissue. The laser method allows maximum control of the depth of exposure, which is individual in each case. Therefore, even with deep tissue lesions, it is possible to completely remove the roots, which means that the re-growth of the wart can be prevented.
The operation takes place under sterile conditions, there is no direct contact with the skin or wart, and the duration of the operation is only a few minutes. The positive results of laser-assisted plantar wart removal also make this method the most attractive.
The main disadvantage of laser plantar wart removal is the high cost, which usually includes a doctor's consultation, anesthesia and the operation itself. In addition, after removal, the wound heals for a long time and requires hygiene.
Plantar wart treatment
Before treating a plantar wart, you need to make sure that the diagnosis is accurate and then proceed directly to the procedures. In addition to surgery, your doctor may prescribe immunotherapy and topical medications.
The need for immunotherapy, as a rule, is justified, since the disease is caused by a virus, which, in a weakened state of the body, is actively developing. Local immunotherapeutic agents directly target the virus in two ways. In the first case, the drug stimulates the immune system, and in the second, an antigen is injected into the body of the wart, which also activates the immune system, so that the wart can disappear faster.
Treatment of a plantar wart takes a fairly long amount of time, it is important not to forget to strengthen the immune system and observe hygiene. If you do not apply removal and treatment, then the wart can go away on its own for more than a year, while a person is a source of infection for everyone around. You should carefully consider this unpleasant disease and be sure to consult a dermatologist, who will definitely tell you how and how to treat a plantar wart.
Treatment of a plantar wart directly depends on compliance with all hygiene standards and doctor's prescriptions, daily treatment of education is a guarantee of successful recovery.
Home treatment
Any new formations on the skin cannot be ignored, since cancer tension is growing all over the world. Do not ignore the appointment with a specialist, he can prescribe a plantar wart treatment at home. In this case, special solutions, ointments, and a plaster for warts are usually prescribed.
Ointments are one of the mildest methods of treatment, they act on the wart itself, as a result of which it gradually dies off and disappears. The following types of ointments are used in the treatment:
- antiviral ointment;
- acid-based ointment;
- various herbal ointments.
Most often, salicylic acid ointments and oxolinic ointment are prescribed. Any type of ointment is dotted on the wart several times a day in accordance with the instructions. When treating a plantar wart, before applying the drug, it must be steamed in warm water beforehand. It is advisable to apply any ointment at night so that you do not have to step on the formation and wash the ointment.
To get rid of plantar warts at home, you can use a salicylic acid patch. This product has a low cost and proven effectiveness. The plaster is sold in pharmacies without a prescription, the principle of its use is very simple - a wart is glued with a piece of plaster, and an ordinary medical plaster is fixed on top. You need to change the patch at regular intervals. It may take about two weeks to remove a small wart, but you cannot leave the wart for a long time without a patch. As the treatment proceeds, the area of the wart decreases, after 12 hours it becomes covered with a crust, which then disappears. After a successful cure, a small pinkish spot remains on the skin, which should completely disappear over time.
Care must be taken when applying the patch - when applying it, you should avoid healthy areas of the skin, otherwise severe irritation may occur. There are contraindications for using this method of removing the wart, so the doctor should make the decision on the appointment of the patch.
Another way to treat plantar warts at home is hyperthermia. Feet affected by warts are immersed in the hottest water possible. Such procedures are repeated several times. In some cases, hyperthermia shows a positive effect. The mechanism of the procedure is based on the stimulation of small blood vessels in the legs and the activation of local immunity.
At home, treatment with low temperatures can be used, similar to the removal of warts with liquid nitrogen. To do this, you can use special applicator pens or sprays. As with cryodestruction, several applications may be required.
Treatment with folk remedies
Despite the fact that modern medicines are much more effective and with their help the process of removing plantar warts is faster, one cannot deny the effectiveness of treatment with folk remedies. Traditional medicine has accumulated vast experience in combating warts, and some methods remain effective.
- Celandine juice is one of the most popular ways to remove thorns. You can use the juice of a fresh plant or purchase a collection of celandine at the pharmacy, which contains, in addition to celandine juice, other herbal extracts. The juice is applied once or twice a day to the affected area.
- Acetic acid, along with various additional agents, is also used to remove warts. In addition to the acid, onions and flour are used. You can drip the acid itself directly onto the affected area, but this method is quite dangerous due to the high risk of severe burns.
- Apple cider vinegar: a swab soaked in solution (it is important not to use undiluted vinegar) is applied to the affected area of the skin, the area of the skin is preliminarily treated with an abrasive nail file.
- Garlic is another folk remedy for treating warts. The formation should be rubbed with raw garlic until it disappears completely, but this method can be used for no more than three weeks.
- The banana peel is applied with the inside to the affected area of the skin, it is believed that it can pull out the wart.
In order to pinpoint the site of the lesion and not touch the adjacent tissues, you can use a piece of adhesive plaster. A hole is made in it to the size of the neoplasm, and the adjacent healthy skin remains intact. This avoids burns and other injuries.
Plantar wart in a child
With age, a person develops immunity to HPV, so children and young people are more susceptible to this infection. Most often, the disease affects children over the age of five. A doctor will help you recognize a plantar wart in a child, as in some cases it may resemble an old callus.
Although plantar warts in a child go away on their own, you should not ignore their treatment, it is also worth remembering the possibility of infecting the whole family and people around them. A plantar wart in a child almost always causes severe painful discomfort when walking, therefore, requires prompt treatment and a visit to a doctor. Our service contains proven pediatric dermatologists and reviews about them, according to which you can choose a good specialist for your child.
Because children are sensitive to pain, it is difficult to find therapy. To begin with, you should use various ointments - they are affordable, easy to use and effective. Folk remedies are also widely used, in the safety of which there is no doubt.
Effective methods for removing plantar warts in children are liquid nitrogen and laser removal. Removing warts using these methods is one of the most radical methods. They are resorted to when solutions and ointments do not have the desired effect.
After healing, it is important not to forget about the prevention of plantar warts in children. This is strengthening the immune system, careful hygiene and wearing the right comfortable shoes. It should be remembered that the risk of infection is especially high in public places and from another person, so you need to make sure that the child does not walk in someone else's shoes or barefoot. Any item that has come into direct contact with the formation must be thoroughly washed at a high temperature. All of these actions will help prevent the development of the virus in the future.
Danger
If the procedure for removing plantar warts is not carried out in time, this can lead to serious consequences, such as:
- the appearance of warts on other areas of the skin;
- skin cancer.
Doctors strongly advise not to self-medicate - cutting, piercing, or cauterizing the warts will worsen the situation and lead to the formation of new warts.
Risk group
The risk group is:
- people with hormonal disorders in the body;
- HIV-infected.
Prophylaxis
For the prevention of plantar warts, patients are advised to:
- strengthen immunity;
- eat more foods rich in vitamins;
- properly care for the skin of the feet;
- do not wear tight shoes, shoes made of synthetic materials;
- in public places (changing rooms, showers) do not walk barefoot.