Warts (Latin: verrucae) are small growths on the upper skin layer (epidermis) of the body. They are caused by viruses. Plantar warts affect the balls of the feet and the undersides of the toes. Plantar warts include thorny warts, which grow deep into the skin, and mosaic warts, which can form wart beds.
Here you will find further information and selected plantar wart specialists.
Two different types of warts occur more frequently on the soles of the feet:
The actual plantar warts are also divided into
Mosaic warts show a superficial distribution on the soles of the feet or the balls of the toes. They are about the size of a pinhead and whitish in color. Initially they appear individually. However, they can multiply in the course of time and grow together on the surface to form beds of plantar warts.
Plantar warts appear individually and grow deep into the tissue. They usually form on areas of the sole of the foot that are particularly exposed to pressure. The undersides of the toes are also frequently affected.
This type of plantar wart is often covered by calluses. They can form a central thorn-like horny cone. They can become very large, particularly in the heel area, and can reach the periosteum.
In general, warts occur with a frequency of around ten percent in adults and children.
Plantar warts are particularly contagious, making them a well-known and widespread phenomenon in dermatology (skin medicine).
All types of warts are caused by viruses. In most cases, these are human papillomaviruses (HPV). There are over 100 different types of HP viruses.
They are transmitted from person to person by smear infection with infected skin flakes. These are found, for example, on the floor or in shared footwear such as in
Warm and moist, swollen skin makes it even easier for viruses to penetrate the skin cells. These places are predestined for this.
The viruses enter the uppermost layer of the skin (epidermis) via small skin or mucous membrane injuries. There they multiply in the cell nuclei. This causes the typical wart-like growths to form.
After an infection with the papilloma viruses, it can take several months for plantar warts to form. However, plantar warts are not known to spread via the bloodstream.
Plantar warts are often concealed under a callus and are therefore well hidden. They cause pain when walking or when pressure is applied to the affected area.
This type of plantar wart generally consists of a granular, whitish mass. It is surrounded by a thickened ring. A clear furrow is usually visible between the thickened horn ring and the actual wart. Numerous brown to black dots or stripes are also typical of these plantar warts. They are caused by bleeding from fine vessels in the wart.
Mosaic warts are the second type of plantar wart. They only grow superficially, i.e. not into the skin, and usually occur in larger numbers. Mosaic warts can fuse together and form wart beds. They tend to be whitish in color. They do not cause pain, but they can become noticeable through itching or a feeling of pressure.
Mosaic warts often form wart beds consisting of several warts © HASPhotos | AdobeStock
Common warts are not actually plantar warts. However, they can still appear on the sole of the foot. Their surface is furrowed like a cauliflower. Common warts can grow to the size of a pea. They are white, gray or brown in color. Like mosaic warts, they generally cause no pain, but at most an itchy feeling.
In some cases, plantar warts look relatively similar to corns. Corns are an excess of callus on pressure points under or on the feet. They are not caused by a viral infection.
In rare cases, the growth may be a form of skin cancer or skin tuberculosis. If you are unsure, a doctor should therefore always clarify any such changes to the skin.
Due to the characteristics of plantar warts, dermatologists can usually make a visual diagnosis. This means that they can look at the affected area and immediately recognize what it is.
Talking to the patient also helps to better classify the condition.
Plantar warts often heal spontaneously on their own. The body's own immune system then recognizes the viruses and fights them. In the course of healing, the warts slowly dry out.
In general, however, the probability of a recurrence of plantar warts is relatively high.
If plantar warts do not heal on their own, treatment can often last for years. In many cases, it turns out to be unsatisfactory.
In most cases, plantar warts are treated with various locally effective measures. However, there are only a few conclusive studies on their success.
There is no direct therapy against the viruses that cause plantar warts.
Never cut open or remove a wart. This could lead to viruses escaping and the infection spreading further.
Salicylic acid is a generally effective remedy for warts. A salicylic acid patch is used as part of the local treatment for plantar warts. The salicylic acid is said to trigger an inflammatory reaction in the affected tissue, which leads to healing of the plantar warts.
The treatment can take several weeks. If carried out consistently, it is successful in 20 to 40 % of cases.
Plantar warts are often also treated locally with cauterizing agents such as
treated. These corrosives destroy the tissue affected by plantar warts, but also healthy tissue around the edges of the warts. Under certain circumstances, this can cause pain when walking.
Plantar warts can also be treated with special ointments. Their ingredients are intended to prevent the cell division of the affected skin cells and thus the virus multiplication of the plantar warts.
These creams contain cytotoxins such as bleomycin or podophyllin. Under certain circumstances, side effects such as skin reactions may occur.
Plantar warts often extend deep into the tissue of the sole of the foot. Superficial, local treatments do not help here. However, it is possible to surgically remove a plantar wart under local anesthesia. This is known as "scraping".
However, this method can take a long time to heal, especially in the case of deep warts. It can also lead to severe post-operative pain and bleeding.
There is also a risk of recurrence of plantar warts after surgical removal. Unfortunately, these recurrences are particularly painful and resistant to treatment.
Accordingly, in most cases an attempt is made to treat the warts initially with less invasive methods.
Electrocoagulation is a procedure in which tissue is selectively cauterized using electricity. The patient is given a local anesthetic.
Electrocoagulation kills the cells infected by the viruses. This reduces the risk of recurrence by 70 %. This method is often used directly after surgical removal of plantar warts. This also reduces the risk of recurrence.
This procedure can lead to the formation of painful scars in the area of the removed plantar wart.
An alternative to electrocoagulation is wart removal using a laser. Two methods are available for this:
In some cases, the CO2 laser scalpel causes severe after-pain and the formation of scar tissue.
The newer dye laser cauterizes the blood vessels in the wart tissue. This dries out the plantar wart. However, this is a lengthy procedure. The patient has to undergo three to fifteen treatment sessions at intervals of around two weeks. The number of sessions depends on the size of the plantar wart or wart bed.
However, the risk of recurrence is very low with this treatment. Unfortunately, this treatment is not suitable for the removal of plantar warts.
Cryotherapy is a treatment that relies on cold. Using liquid nitrogen or a mixture of dimethyl and propane, an applicator is cooled down to a temperature of minus 50 °C. The doctor then presses the applicator into the skin. The doctor then presses the applicator onto the wart for several seconds. The low temperatures freeze the skin cells and the wart dies.
The freezing method is mainly used for superficial plantar warts.
When it comes to warts, prevention is better than treatment. It is easier to prevent a wart than to get rid of it later.
There are a few simple rules of conduct that reduce the risk of virus infection and wart formation.
In public
bathing shoes. This will prevent you from coming into contact with the floor, where there may be infected skin flakes. Do not share bathing shoes with other people.
Dry your feet thoroughly after swimming, taking a sauna or doing sport. Disinfecting your feet can be another effective preventative measure.
Rubbing greasy creams on the feet also makes infection more difficult. The viruses can then not penetrate the skin as easily and cause plantar warts.
