Since the formation is on the foot, it can lead to painful sensations and injuries to the wart itself. For these reasons, the spine needs treatment, although there is a chance the plantar wart will go away on its own without serious treatment.
Unfortunately, getting rid of a wart is still not easy, so it is recommended that you see a dermatologist to reduce the risk of contracting it to other people and 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 that can hardly be removed on its own, causing relapses. Folk remedies often seriously injure the surrounding tissues, 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, then 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 place of formation;
- the size of the warts is a few millimeters to 2 centimeters;
- unlike corns, a wart is painful;
- Bleeding if damaged;
- Pain when walking.
If you have similar symptoms, see your doctor right away. It is easier to prevent an illness than to deal with the consequences.
Causes of the plantar wart
A plantar wart occurs when the foot is infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). The main route of transmission is contact; infection occurs through ordinary 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.
A weakened immunity can also serve as a cause, since the human papillomavirus does not show any visible manifestations in the normal state.
This type of wart can also appear 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 feet: diabetes mellitus, varicose veins. It must be remembered that frequent stress can indirectly affect the onset of this disease.
HPV can be accidentally acquired while walking normally barefoot on an infected surface; the virus can survive for 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 the infection.
diagnosis
To determine how plantar warts are treated, a dermatologist will conduct a series of studies:
- general inspection;
- Dermatoscopy;
- PCR diagnostics;
- histological examination.
How to cure plantar warts
When a plantar wart appears, how can this neoplasm be cured? If the growths are uncomfortable and spreading quickly, it is best to see a dermatologist as soon as possible who will select the most appropriate treatment option. There are several ways to solve this problem.
The most radical of these is surgical: the wart and its roots are surgically removed. This method is not the most effective because the roots of the neoplasm are in the deep layers of the skin. In some cases it is not possible to completely remove them.
Removal of warts can be done with laser and electrocautery, as well as cryotherapy.
In addition to removal in medical institutions, plantar warts can be removed using less radical methods such as ointments, solutions, special patches, as well as folk remedies. These plantar wart removal agents have a number of advantages and disadvantages, the most important of which is the long treatment time.
Removal of plantar warts
One of the most common methods of plantar wart removal is to have them removed in specialized hospitals. The dermatologist at the appointment should tell you in detail how to remove plantar warts and choose the most suitable method based on the results of the examination. Despite the fact that the thorns are difficult to cure, there are no special specific means of removing them, all methods are used that are suitable for the treatment of other types of warts. Plantar warts can be treated on an outpatient basis, but your doctor may prescribe funds to 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 placed under the skin and 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 removal site.
The difficulty with this method is that the doctor has to remove all the roots during the operation, otherwise the plantar wart will reappear. Therefore, this method is only used today when all other treatment methods have proven ineffective.
Removal with liquid nitrogen
Removal with liquid nitrogen means exposing the neoplasm to extremely low temperatures; this is the most common modern and fastest method of treating a plantar wart.
The procedure is based on freezing the tissue of the formation itself. In fact, under the influence of an extremely low temperature of -196 degrees Celsius, cracks appear in the cells of the wart, which lead to the death of the wart.
Cryodestruction is performed manually or by hardware. If the wart is large or if the procedure is going to be performed on a child, local anesthesia, usually novocaine, will be required.
The direct contact time with liquid nitrogen is up to 30 seconds. After the first moxibustion, the doctor should take a break to assess the effectiveness of the effects and the need for repeated moxibustion.
After freezing, a blister with a colorless or reddish liquid will form on the wart site, indicating the beginning of the inflammatory process. This is a normal response to the moxibustion procedure.
Cryodestruction is considered painless, but when treating plantar warts, it must be repeated several times to get the final effect. After the wart falls off, no scars remain.
The advantages of removing liquid nitrogen are:
- Freezing prevents further spread of the disease to the nearest skin;
- lack of special training;
- short duration of proceedings;
- 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 due to the size of the wart;
- 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 the nitrogen load on the tissue, otherwise a burn can form;
- The discomfort associated with a swollen bladder and the need to treat it are also considered to be disadvantages of the method.
In general, the reviews of the treatment of plantar warts using the liquid nitrogen moxibustion method are positive, as it is the easiest, most effective and cheapest way to go.
Laser removal
Laser removal is considered to be one of the most effective and safest techniques. After the laser treatment, the wart is no longer infectious. The procedure itself is painless, a special nozzle is built into the laser that cools the point of impact. In addition, one or more analgesic injections will be given before the operation. The patient usually feels a slight tingling sensation during the procedure. Once the neoplasm has been removed, no traces remain, as the laser burns the diseased tissue directly. The laser process allows maximum control of the exposure depth, which is individual in each case. Therefore, even with deep tissue lesions, it is possible to completely remove the roots, which can prevent the wart from growing back.
The operation takes place under sterile conditions, there is no direct skin or wart contact and the operation only takes a few minutes. The positive results of laser-assisted plantar wart removal also make this method the most attractive.
The main disadvantage of laser wart removal is its high cost, which usually includes a doctor's consultation, anesthesia, and the surgery itself. In addition, after removal, the wound heals for a long time and requires hygiene.
Treatment of plantar warts
Before treating a plantar wart, you need to make sure that the diagnosis is correct, and then proceed directly to the procedures. In addition to surgery, your doctor may prescribe immunotherapy and topical medications.
The need for immunotherapy is usually justified, since the disease is caused by a virus that actively develops when the body is weakened. Local immunotherapy drugs target the virus directly in two ways. In the first case, the drug stimulates the immune system, in the second, an antigen is injected into the wart's body, which also activates the immune system so the wart can go away faster.
Treatment for a plantar wart takes quite a long time, it is important not to forget to strengthen the immune system and take care of hygiene. If you don't use removal and treatment, the wart can go away on its own for more than a year while one person is a source of infection for everyone. You should carefully weigh this nasty disease and be sure to see 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 medical prescriptions, daily treatment of education is a guarantee of successful recovery.
Home treatment
New growths on the skin cannot be overlooked because cancer tensions are increasing worldwide. Do not ignore the appointment with a specialist, he can prescribe treatment for a plantar wart 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 and disappears. The following types of ointments are used in treatment:
- antiviral ointment;
- Acid based ointment;
- various herbal ointments.
Most often, salicylic acid ointments and oxolinic acid ointments are prescribed. Each type of ointment is applied to the wart several times a day, according to the instructions. When treating a plantar wart, it must be steamed in warm water before using the medication. 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 price and proven effectiveness. The plaster is sold in pharmacies without a prescription, the principle of its use is very simple - a wart is stuck with a piece of plaster, and an ordinary medical plaster is attached to it. 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 without a patch for long. As the treatment progresses, the area of the wart decreases, after 12 hours it becomes covered with a crust, which then disappears. After a successful treatment, a small pink stain remains on the skin, which should completely disappear over time.
Care should be taken when applying the patch - avoid healthy areas of skin when applying it, as this may cause severe irritation. There are contraindications to the use of this method of removing the wart, so the decision on the appointment of the patch should be made by the doctor.
Another way to treat plantar warts at home is through hyperthermia. Feet affected by warts are dipped in water that is as hot as 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, a low temperature treatment, similar to removing warts with liquid nitrogen, can be used. To do this, you can use special applicator pens or sprays. As with cryodestruction, multiple applications may be required.
Treatment with folk remedies
Despite the fact that modern drugs are much more effective, and with their help, the removal of plantar warts will be faster, the effectiveness of treatment with folk remedies cannot be denied. Traditional medicine has gained extensive experience in fighting warts, and some methods are still effective.
- Celandine juice is one of the most popular ways to remove thorns. You can use the juice of a fresh plant or buy a collection of celandine from the pharmacy, which contains other herbal extracts in addition to celandine juice. The juice is applied to the affected area once or twice a day.
- 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 directly on the affected area, but this method is quite dangerous due to the high risk of 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 skin area is temporarily treated with an abrasive nail file.
- Garlic is another folk remedy used to treat warts. The formation should be rubbed with raw garlic until it disappears completely, but this method can not be used for more than three weeks.
- The banana peel is applied with the inside on the affected skin area, it is assumed that it can pull out the wart.
You can use a piece of plaster to locate the site of the lesion and avoid touching the adjacent tissue. A hole the size of the neoplasm is made and the adjacent healthy skin is left intact. This will prevent burns and other injuries.
Plantar wart in a child
As a person ages, they develop immunity to HPV, making children and adolescents more susceptible to this infection. Most often the disease affects children over the age of five. A doctor will help you identify a plantar wart in a child, as in some cases it can resemble an old cornea.
Although plantar warts go away on their own in a child, their treatment should not be ignored. It is also worth remembering the possibility of infecting the whole family and those around them. A plantar wart in a child almost always causes severe painful discomfort while walking, and therefore requires immediate treatment and a doctor's visit. Our service includes qualified pediatric dermatologists and reviews about them, according to which you can choose a good specialist for your child.
Since children are sensitive to pain, it is difficult to find therapy. First of all, you should use different ointments - they are affordable, easy to use, and effective. Folk remedies are also widely used, 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 show the desired effect.
After healing, it is important not to forget about preventing plantar warts in children. This includes strengthening the immune system, careful hygiene and wearing the right comfortable shoes. It should be remembered that the risk of contagion is particularly high in public places and from another person. You must therefore make sure that the child does not walk in someone else's shoes or barefoot. All items that have come into direct contact with the formation must be washed thoroughly at a high temperature. All of these measures will help prevent the virus from developing in the future.
Attention
If the procedure for removing plantar warts is not carried out in a timely manner, it can lead to serious consequences, such as:
- the appearance of warts on other parts of the skin;
- Skin cancer.
Doctors strongly advise against self-medication - cutting, piercing, or burning the warts will make the situation worse 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 recommended to:
- Strengthening 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;
- Do not go barefoot in public places (changing rooms, showers).