Plantar Wart
Definition
Contagious lesion due to a type of human papilloma virus (HPV) that infects the skin of the foot. The lesion can be isolated, multiple or in mosaic which is coalescent type. This type of virus lives in a moist environment; so areas like pools and showers are frequent sites of transmission. Also, people that sweat a lot are often more at risk. Some studies show that there is a link between warts and acid/base relation in the body. This lesion can be painless, especially if it is localized in an area where there is no pressure. When there is pain associated, it is usually related to the amount of callus that accumulates on top of the lesion.
Treatements:
All wart treatments act as skin aggressor to reject the virus. Treatments are multiples but can all cause 2 different types of normal skin reaction:
- A dry reaction, which is a dry dead skin crust. This crust can be skin-coloured or black. This crust can fall off by itself or stay on the skin.
- A humid reaction which is a blister type of reaction. There can be a clear liquid inside or blood accumulation. If that type of reaction appears, you can disinfect the area with the alcohol swab and pierce and drain the liquid with the provided sterile needle. Then you have to put a little bit of antibiotic ointment (like Polysporin) and put a dressing on for 2 days.
It is possible that the patient needs more than one treatment for the same wart.
Procedure:
The bandage that was put on in clinic needs to be kept dry and intact for the next 48 hours. Then, no dressing will be put on because it would keep the area moist and it could favorise the growth of the virus (except if there was a blister type of reaction).
It is very important to go to the follow up appointment with the podiatrist to verify if the wart is completely gone. A wart is considered contagious until a podiatrist or other skin specialist has verified the area and said that it is all cleared up.