Types, Causes, and How to Get Rid of It

• Foot warts can be common warts, plantar warts, or periungal warts.
• They develop when a certain strand of HPV infects a cut or open wound.
• You can get rid of them with salicylic acid products or by using duct tape to smother them.

Though warts are usually not painful, they can be annoying — especially if you have one on your foot.

A wart is a white or skin-colored growth on your skin that feels rough to the touch. Warts can grow if the skin on your foot is exposed to a virus — you can pick one up by walking barefoot in public areas.

Warts are generally easy to get rid of — you may be able to treat it at home or with a quick doctor’s appointment. Here are the types of foot warts and how to get rid of them. 

What type of wart is on my foot?

There are several different types of foot warts, each with their own specific symptoms, says Dr. Michele Green, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice.

• Common warts, also called verruca vulgaris, are flesh-colored bumps that may have small, black dots on the surface.
• Plantar warts show up on your heels, toes, or the soles of your feet. You may feel plantar warts before you see them — in the early stages, they cause pain or tenderness when you put pressure on the area, Green says.
• Periungual warts are warts that grow around your fingernails or toenails. They begin as small lesions and gradually spread to larger bumps that resemble a cauliflower, Green says.

What causes a foot wart?

Warts are caused by various types of human papillomavirus (HPV). “If there are cuts or any damage to the skin’s protective barrier, the virus can then enter the body and cause an infection,” Green says.

The HPV virus stimulates your body to produce extra keratin, a hard protein, on the top layer of your skin. “This leads to the development of a small growth that feels rough to the touch,” Green says.

HPV favors warm and moist environments and the virus is very contagious, says Dr. Debra Jaliman, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice.

“If you are walking barefoot, you can get this virus or spread it to other people,” Jaliman says.

Some of the most common ways you might contract foot warts include:

• Walking barefoot in indoor swimming pools, gyms, and locker rooms
• Sharing shoes or used socks with other people
• Skin-to-skin contact with someone with foot warts or HPV
• Getting a manicure or pedicure with tools that aren’t properly sterilized

“Those with sweaty feet or who have a weak immune system are more prone to developing warts on their feet,” Green says.

How to treat a wart on your foot

Warts can last up to two years if you don’t treat them. Luckily, these relatively harmless bumps can go away with several simple treatment methods — and if that doesn’t work, a doctor will usually be able to remove them.  

Some over-the-counter treatments include:

Salicylic acid is a common treatment for warts, which essentially “burns” off the wart from your skin.

“There are salicylic acid wart removal products available over the counter that are effective and easy to use,” Green says. You can find wart band-aids or creams in most pharmacies.

Duct tape can also be used to treat a wart — it can help stop the spread of the virus and remove the top layer of skin.

You can do this by applying a small section of duct tape to the wart, leaving it on for three days, and then removing it. You can repeat this process as many times as needed.

Some treatments you can get from your doctor include:

• Cryotherapy is one of the most common treatments for warts, “which is a freezing technique that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart,” Jaliman says.
• Curettage involves cutting off the wart from the skin.
• Laser therapy like VBeam “can target and destroy the blood vessels that ‘feed’ the wart,” Green says.
• Prescription medications like imiqimod (Zyclera) may also be a good option for people with a compromised immune system. “This is an immune stimulator, which helps the body destroy the wart,” Jaliman says.

When to see a doctor

Green recommends seeing a doctor if:

• You have multiple warts
• The wart is causing discomfort and impacting your daily activities
• The wart changes in color or appearance or starts bleeding
• You are diabetic or immunocompromised

How to prevent warts

There are several key tips you can follow to avoid contracting foot warts, Green says.

• Be sure to wear shoes or flip-flops in warm and moist environments, like at the pool or the gym.
• If you are prone to sweating on your feet, be sure to change your socks regularly and keep your shoes clean.
• If you frequently get manicures and pedicures, be sure to go to a reputable salon that uses sterile tools.

Insider’s takeaway

Warts on the feet are very common and can be treated at home or at your doctor’s office. At-home treatments include using products laced with salicylic acid or applying duct tape. 

Warts usually aren’t a cause for serious concern, but Green recommends seeing a doctor if at-home treatments haven’t worked, the wart is painful, or it keeps reappearing. 

Madeline Kennedy

Madeline Kennedy is a health writer for Insider covering a wide range of topics including reproductive and sexual health, mental health, nutrition, and infectious disease. Before joining Insider, Madeline worked as a health news writer for Reuters, and a domestic violence therapist. She has a master’s degree in social work from UPenn and is interested in the intersection of health and social justice.

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causes and methods of removal

Benign growths that appear on the body as a result of exposure to the human papillomavirus (HPV) are called warts. They are neoplasms in the epidermis. Basically, warts on the skin are divided into types according to the type of HPV, which caused the appearance on the skin. There are more than 200 genotypes of the virus. It affects not only humans, warts are also found in mammals and some species of birds. Very often, the virus is transmitted to humans from an infected animal. The most common HPV viruses include 2, 27, 57, 4 and 1 genotype. Below we will look at how to diagnose and remove warts, as well as avoid their appearance.

General information

A common wart is a growth on the skin that has a rough surface and protrudes to a certain height above the surface of the epidermis. The color of the warts is lighter or darker than the surrounding tissues; internal vessels can be seen on large formations. The main cause of warts is infection with the human papillomavirus. HPV enters the body through damaged or water-soaked skin. Sometimes infection is possible even if there are no injuries on the body. The difficulty in identifying the cause of infection is due to the fact that some adult warts appear on the body only six months after infection.

HPV mainly affects children and young people. The problem affects patients who have a history of chronic skin diseases:

• Psoriasis;
• Dermatitis;
• Eczema, etc.

Patients with weakened immune systems are also at risk. Mostly we are talking about people infected with HIV, or those who have undergone organ transplants. If the patient has problems with the immune system, there may be difficulties with treatment in the future. A viral wart after removal in this case is most often pumped with a relapse.

Warts can be found on the skin anywhere on the body. In this case, most often they are localized in the area of ​​​​the fingers on the hands, on the elbows, knees, hands.

Types of warts

There are several types of formations. Basically, the division into types of warts is associated with an external aspect, with the cause of occurrence and other factors. The following types of warts are distinguished:

1. Ordinary (vulgar) . This type of formation is characterized by an age limit – mainly the problem caused by HPV develops in childhood. Warts on the hands, fingers, and feet are common localizations of the problem. What a wart looks like is a colorless lump about the size of a pinhead. Sometimes larger formations are possible. A viral wart rarely manifests itself as a single rash, most often you can find a whole scattering of neoplasms in the affected area. An interesting fact is that if the largest wart in the affected area is surgically removed correctly, the rest will disappear on their own over time.
2. Flat . These types of warts mostly occur between the ages of 10 and 25. They are small papules that practically do not stand out above the skin. The surface of the wart is colorless, in some cases the skin in the affected area acquires a yellowish tint. A viral wart most often appears on the back of the hand, on the hands, on the neck and face.
3. Plantar . Most often, it is people with this problem who have the question of how to get rid of warts. This is due to the fact that rashes cause discomfort and pain, especially while walking. It mainly occurs on the feet in places that experience excessive friction when walking. The main problem of such a neoplasm is the difficulty with self-identification due to the appearance, very similar to ordinary plantar corns.
4. Seborrheic . Types of warts in this category are diagnosed in elderly patients. A distinctive feature of education is a long formation, sometimes it takes several years. Appears as a dark brown small spot on the body, which gradually increases in size, eventually reaching a diameter of 5-6 centimeters. Warts are characterized by the presence of a greasy surface with crusts. Over time, the formation becomes denser, covered with cracks and darkens significantly. There are senile warts on closed areas of the body.
5. Warts . It has a specific place of appearance – in the region of the perineum and genitals. Also, warts can be found in the armpits, under the breasts in women, in the region of the nasolabial triangle in children. They got their name due to the pointed and lobed structure. Such warts are characterized by multiple distribution in the affected area – rashes are never single. The color of the neoplasm is colorless or pale pink. In some cases, the warts begin to rub against clothing or other objects, as a result, they become damaged, acquire a purple hue, and begin to bleed.

Causes of warts

A question that worries even those who have not experienced it: why do warts appear? The main method of infection is contact. If you are in contact with a person who already has HPV in the body, it is very likely that it will be transmitted to you, especially if there are concomitant factors. The main method of transmission is through handshakes. You can also get infected through common household items, we are talking about bed linen, towels, some slippers, etc. There is a high risk of catching the virus in public places – in swimming pools, baths, gyms, etc.

The risk of contracting warts increases under the influence of various adverse factors :

1. There are small injured areas on the arms and legs. At risk are people who are engaged in physical labor at work. It is extremely difficult for such employees to keep their hands from injury in the process of performing work tasks. Cracks, scratches, cuts appear on the hands, through which HPV can easily penetrate.
2. Decreased protective immune functions of the body. You can define the problem yourself. Just keep track of how often you get colds during the year. An indicator of 4 or more times should cause alertness.
3. Intense sweating of the hands and feet.

These factors facilitate the penetration of the papilloma virus into the patient’s body and the appearance of warts. The infection is characterized by a long incubation period – the first rashes in some cases appear only 1.5 months after infection.

Symptoms

The types of warts also affect the symptoms experienced by an infected patient. At the same time, for all varieties of formations, a list of the same symptoms is characteristic:

1. The appearance of single or multiple neoplasms. Warts can appear not only on the skin. A rash on the mucous membranes is also possible.
2. When pressing on the surface of the formation, painful sensations occur.
3. The nail plate is deformed, the periungual ridge grows in the affected area.
4. Foot deformity in case of massive lesion, severe pain syndrome.

Types of warts and specific symptoms:

1. Molluscum contagiosum . Localization – on the body or in the genital area. There are depressions on the surface. If you press on the wart, the release of a mushy substance may begin.
2. Nevi . It can be a congenital problem, it rises significantly above the surface of the skin. Characterized by a dark brown color, as well as the presence of hairline.
3. Basalioma . It has a crust on the surface, if it is intentionally or accidentally removed, bleeding begins.

Diagnosis

The differential diagnosis is based on the clinical picture of a specific type of neoplasm, as well as on the study of anamnesis. The size of the papule, the rate at which it increases in size, the number of formations and other factors are taken into account.

For a definitive diagnosis, the patient may be referred for a histological examination.

If the appearance of warts is planned to be eliminated using destructive methods, it is important to first pass tests for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis.

Treatment methods for warts

Treatment of warts does not guarantee a 100% result. Even a healed wart may reappear in the future. Removal of warts only in 70% of cases does not end with a relapse over time. The behavior of warts is unpredictable. Treatment of warts can often not bring any result, and in some cases the problem is resolved on its own without any intervention at all.

The treatment of warts has two goals – the destruction of the viral neoplasm, improving the quality of life for the patient. Indications for the beginning of treatment – a clinical manifestation of the problem. The most common method is based on the destruction of education. At the same time, there is no guarantee that after complete healing of the tissues in the affected area, the problem will not reappear. Most often, relapses are characteristic of neoplasms of a large area – from two centimeters. Warts on the fingers and in the region of the periungual plate are also considered problematic.

Warts are treated in several ways. The choice of a specific method, how to treat warts, directly depends on the type of lesion, its prevalence, localization and other factors. All interventions are carried out without mandatory hospitalization of patients.

Treatment of warts with physical destructive methods

1. Electrocoagulation . The affected area is anesthetized, then with the help of a needle tip, an electric current is applied to the wart. The method allows you to remove the wart in layers.
2. Cryosurgery . Freezing the surface of the neoplasm with liquid nitrogen. The duration of exposure is from 1 to 5 minutes. A second procedure is required a week after the first.
3. Laser treatment . Depending on the size of the wart, the contact effect of the laser on the zone is carried out from a few seconds to 2-3 minutes. The crust formed on the surface is cut with scissors, then the bottom of the wart is re-exposed with a laser. The disadvantage of the method is that a wound surface is formed, which the patient needs to independently process. The affected area should not be re-injured, it is also important to avoid getting wet. The scab that appears on the surface is removed by the patient.
4. Radiosurgery . The affected area is affected by electromagnetic waves. As a result of such an impact, the surface of the wart is dissected without mechanical effort. The intervention is performed with local anesthesia of the affected area. Most often, a 2% solution of lidocaine is injected.

Chemical treatment of warts

1. Zinc solution. Before removing the wart, the doctor treats the surface with alcohol to disinfect and facilitate the penetration of the composition. The solution is applied with a spatula or capillary, it all depends on the size of the wart. The duration of application is until the neoplasm changes its color. The procedure is repeated after 1-2 weeks. For common warts, 1-2 treatments are usually sufficient, when it comes to plantar neoplasms, the application of the solution may be required three times. Wart tissues under the influence of the composition are mummified in order to increase the effectiveness of the impact, dead areas are removed before a new application. In the periods between procedures, the patient is not recommended to wet the area. Also, the surface is subjected to antiseptic treatment using alcohol-free formulations.
2. Composition based on nitric, acetic, oxalic, lactic acid and sodium nitrate trihydrate. The surface of the wart in this method is also pre-degreased. It is important to apply the composition exclusively to the affected areas, without touching healthy tissues. The agent stains neoplasms on the skin yellow, on the mucous membranes – white. The patient is required to re-come for a review 3-5 days after treatment. The method is not suitable for warts that are larger than 5 centimeters in diameter.

How to get rid of warts in childhood? Treatment is possible only with the help of destructive methods in order to avoid possible toxic effects on the fragile organism.

It is important to remember that it is easier to prevent warts than to treat them later in the clinic. There are several prevention rules:

• Maintain personal hygiene, wash hands after visiting public places, use only personal items.
• If lesions appear on the skin of the hands or feet, they must be treated with iodine or brilliant green until healing. It is also desirable to limit contact with HPV carriers.
• Nutrition normalization. The body must receive all the elements necessary for the normal development of the body. It is also important to remove stress from everyday life as much as possible.

Causes of warts – Urosvit

Causes of warts

• November 01, 2021

A wart on the foot can appear in winter

You don’t go to the sauna or swimming pool, don’t wear other people’s slippers or boots, and you have a wart on your foot. It would seem that there was no possibility of getting infected, so where could it come from?

Oleg Pavlik, a dermatovenereologist of the highest category at the Urosvit Medical Center, spoke about this in more detail.

What is the nature of warts?

– This is a benign neoplasm of viral origin. Papillomavirus enters the human body by contact. That is, this happens upon contact with a person whose body has warts, with a carrier (there is a virus in the body, there are no warts on the body, but you can get infected from such a person), when using someone else’s towel, visiting pools or saunas, if put on someone else’s shoes (for example, slippers) or put on someone else’s socks.

What are the causes of warts?

A wart on the foot occurs as a result of the activity of the human papillomavirus in the body. It belongs to the category of infectious dermatological diseases.

According to statistics, in our time, ninety people out of a hundred are carriers of the papillomavirus, that is, this category of pathogenic microorganisms is very common. Nevertheless, the virus can be in the human body in an anabiotic state for several decades. And the following factors can provoke its increased activity and the subsequent formation of a wart on the legs:

• infection with other diseases of a viral or bacterial nature;
• hypothermia of the body;
• weakened immunity and low body resistance;
• hormonal disorders and changes;
• increased sweating in the area of ​​the feet;
• stress, nervous tension;
• physical fatigue, lack of sleep;
• Poor diet and bad habits.

The virus enters the body through small cracks, scratches and microtraumas on the skin of the sole of the foot. You can catch this unpleasant disease in common areas, for example, when visiting a pool or sauna.

It should be noted that the papilloma virus retains an increased resistance to negative environmental factors. Most often, warts on the feet appear directly at the site of penetration of pathogenic microflora into the body.

And where do warts come from, say, on the legs in winter?

– The problem is that the incubation period lasts an average of two to five months. So you may not know exactly when you got infected. And winter is a rather favorable factor for this, because in winter shoes the legs can sweat, and certain areas are also compressed. Also, do not forget, our immune system is weakened by colds and viruses that are activated in winter. Here are the favorable conditions for the appearance of a wart.

What are the types of warts?

– There are several types of warts, which determines where they appear. For example, the name “plantar warts” indicates the place where they appear. Often this happens in places of the most active pressure of uncomfortable shoes. In order to diagnose such a wart, you first need to correctly distinguish it from corns and corns. In appearance, the plantar wart may be a small rounded seal with a dark center.

Children (under 15) often develop flat warts, often referred to as juvenile warts. They are quite rare, in 4% of cases. They are located, as a rule, on open areas of the skin, namely the hands on the back side, on the outskirts of the lips, on the head of the penis, on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity. They have the appearance of small papules of pale pink or yellowish color with a smooth surface.

The most common are the so-called simple warts, which are diagnosed in 70% of cases in children of school age. In other words, they are also called vulgar. These are nodular formations, ranging in size from one to ten millimeters, covered with a massive keratinized brown-brown epidermis. Appear on the back of the hands, on the face, scalp, around the nail bed. They spread quite quickly, so there can be up to several dozen of them on the body. A characteristic feature of this type of warts is the presence of one largest “maternal” wart. If it is removed, then smaller neoplasms disappear.

And then there are genital warts, which are sexually transmitted, they appear on the genitals. Their incubation period is from seven weeks to nine months.

Do warts need to be treated and what methods exist?

– Warts need treatment because they have the ability to spread. There are cases when warts disappear on their own, but this happens extremely rarely. For the most part, if this problem is not eliminated, a person runs the risk of witnessing the appearance of new warts on his body. And this is not only a cosmetic problem (if the warts appear on open parts of the body) – pain may also appear (if the wart is on the foot).

If a neoplasm causes discomfort or persists for a long time, it should be treated. It is important to note here that in any case it is impossible to treat a wart on your own. The fact is that by injuring or removing it, you can cause the virus to spread to other parts of the body. The best way out of the situation is to contact a qualified specialist who will prescribe the correct and effective treatment.