Plantar’s warts: painful and contagious

Veiled in myth and superstition

Warts are the subject of more myth and superstition than any other skin condition. In Mark Twain’s 1876 classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn describes one “tested” method of wart removal:

“Why, you take your cat and go and get in the graveyard ’long about midnight when somebody that was wicked has been buried; and when it’s midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three, but you can’t see ’em, you can only hear something like the wind, or maybe hear ’em talk; and when they’re taking that feller away, you heave your cat after ’em and say, ‘Devil follow corpse, cat follow devil, warts follow cat, I’m done with ye!’ That’ll fetch any wart.”

Getting rid of warts is more scientific in the 21st Century, but it takes patience and perseverance to get them to eventually dissolve. The bad news is, [expletive deleted] they can return at any time.

 

Plantar’s Warts and [who knew?] Palmer’s Warts

Plantar’s Warts and [who knew?] Palmer’s Warts

Since “plantar” is the scientific term for undersurface or the bottom of the foot, warts on the bottom of the feet are called “plantar’s” warts. They are generally flat because of their location on the feet where the pressure of walking flattens them. Since warts are named for where they appear on the body, warts on the hands are called “palmer’s” warts.

 

Warts are viral

A viral infection (HPV), which thrives in hot, moist areas, causes warts. It enters the system through a cut or damaged area of the skin and then manifests itself as a bump or bumps that can appear anywhere on the body. Children and teens are often afflicted with warts.

Unattractive growths

  • Seek a professional diagnosis when it comes to plantar’s warts which can be mistaken for corns or callouses. Misdiagnosis can cause problems.
  • See one of the Doctors at American Foot if your warts are painful or if they’ve grown or multiplied.
  • Do not self-treat warts if you are diabetic or have circulatory, immunological, or neurological problems.
  • Self-treatment of warts, which generally includes products containing acids, is tricky. Care must be taken with over-the-counter products because they can burn or damage the healthy tissue surrounding the wart and not affect the wart at all.
  • Warts, left untreated, may retreat on their own. Warts are benign; if they don’t bother you, you can leave them alone.
  • Warts spread. Treatment at American Foot will jump-start the healing process and protect your family and others from an outbreak of warts.

Protect Yourself

The doctors at American Foot have a number of treatments and strategies for clearing up unsightly and annoying warts.

There are some precautions you can take to avoid coming in contact with the HPV, wart, virus:

  • Don’t walk barefoot in locker rooms, pools, gyms, and most other public areas. Remember—the virus likes “warm” and “moist.”
  • Avoid direct contact with warts. They are contagious.
  • Check children’s feet regularly.
  • Keep your feet clean and dry.
  • Change your socks and shoes daily.
  • Do not ignore changes in your skin

Call the American Foot located closest to you and make an appointment for a skin check or treatment for warts: 404.363.9944. American Foot has offices conveniently located in Stockbridge, Fayetteville, Forest Park, and Locust Grove, Georgia.