Since the formation is on the foot, this can lead to painful sensations and injury to the wart. For these reasons, the spine should be treated, although there is a small chance that the plantar wart will go away on its own without serious treatment.
Unfortunately, it is still not easy to get rid of a wart, so it is recommended to consult a dermatologist to reduce the risk of infecting other people, as well as to shorten the time of treatment of 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, which is almost impossible to remove on its own, so relapses occur. Home remedies often seriously damage the surrounding tissue, which can lead to an increase in the area of injury and unpleasant consequences in the form of burns and scars.
Symptoms
If you suspect the appearance of a neoplasm, 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 site of formation;
- the size of warts is from a few millimeters to 2 centimeters;
- Unlike corns, a wart is painful;
- bleeding when damaged;
- pain when walking
If you have similar symptoms, see your doctor right away. It is easier to prevent a disease than to face the consequences.
Causes of plantar wart
A plantar wart occurs when the foot is affected by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The main route of transmission is contact, the infection occurs through common 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, swimming pool, sauna and gym.
Weakened immunity can also serve as a cause of appearance, since in a normal state the human papillomavirus does not give visible manifestations.
This type of wart can also occur with microtraumas of the epidermis, dry skin, wearing tight and 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, and diseases that lead to a violation of the integrity of the skin of the foot - diabetes mellitus, varicose veins. It should be remembered that frequent stress can indirectly affect the appearance of this disease.
HPV can be acquired by accident by walking barefoot normally on an infected surface; the virus can live for up to several months without an immediate carrier. After entering the body, it may not manifest itself for several days or even weeks, so it is not always possible to know the exact time of infection.
Diagnostics
To determine how to treat plantar warts, a dermatologist performs a series of studies:
- General inspection;
- dermoscopy;
- PCR diagnostics;
- histological examination.
How to cure plantar warts
When a plantar wart appears, the question arises how to cure this neoplasm. When the growths are uncomfortable and spread quickly, the best solution is to consult a dermatologist as soon as possible, he will select the most suitable treatment option. There are several ways to solve this problem.
The most radical of them is the operative one: the wart and its roots are surgically removed. This method is not the most effective, since the roots of the neoplasm are located in the deep layers of the skin. In some cases, it is not possible to remove them completely.
Wart removal can be done with laser and electrocautery, as well as cryotherapy.
In addition to removal in medical institutions, plantar warts can be removed with less radical methods, such as ointments, solutions, special plasters, and home remedies. These remedies to remove plantar warts have a number of advantages and disadvantages, the main of which is the long treatment time.
Plantar warts removal
One of the most common ways to remove plantar warts is to do it in specialized hospitals. The dermatologist at the appointment should tell you in detail how to get rid of plantar warts and, based on the results of the examination, choose the most appropriate method. Despite the fact that thorns are difficult to heal, there is no specific special means to eliminate them; All methods that are appropriate in treating other types of warts are used. Plantar warts can be treated on an outpatient basis, but your doctor can prescribe remedies to help remove the growths at home.
Surgical wart removal.
Surgery is used in conjunction with other treatments to remove warts. The wart is scraped off with a special scalpel under local anesthesia. After this procedure, if the plantar wart was significant, stitches are applied under the skin, which are removed in a week or two. The wound site is treated with a disinfectant solution and an aseptic dressing is applied. There is usually a small scar at the extraction site.
The difficulty of this method is that during the operation the doctor must remove all the roots, otherwise the plantar wart will reappear. Therefore, this method is used today only if all other treatment methods proved ineffective.
Elimination with liquid nitrogen
Elimination with liquid nitrogen involves exposing the neoplasm to extremely low temperatures; This is the most common modern and fastest way to treat a plantar wart.
The method is based on freezing the tissue of the formation itself. In fact, inside the cells of the wart, under the influence of an extremely low temperature of –196 degrees Celsius, ruptures occur that lead to the death of the wart.
Cryodestruction is done manually or by hardware. If the wart is large or the procedure is done on a child, then it is necessary to use local anesthesia, usually novocaine.
Direct exposure time to liquid nitrogen is up to 30 seconds. After the first moxibustion, the physician should pause to assess the effectiveness of the effect and the need for repeated moxibustion.
After freezing, a bubble with a colorless or reddish liquid forms at the site of the wart, indicating the onset of the inflammatory process. This is a normal reaction to the moxibustion procedure.
Cryodestruction is considered painless, but when treating plantar warts, it must be repeated several times to achieve the final effect. After the wart falls off, there are no scars left.
The advantages of liquid nitrogen removal are:
- frostbite excludes further spread of the disease to the nearest skin;
- lack of special training;
- short duration of the procedure;
- The risks of developing scars or scars are minimal.
The disadvantages of plantar wart cryodestruction 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 who performs this procedure is a guarantee of success. The doctor must correctly assess the time and degree of exposure to nitrogen in the tissues, otherwise a burn may form;
- the discomfort that a bloated bladder brings and the need to treat it are also considered disadvantages of the method.
In general, the reviews on the treatment of plantar warts with the liquid nitrogen moxibustion method are positive, as this is the simplest, most effective and affordable way.
Laser removal
Laser removal is considered one of the most effective and safest techniques. After laser treatment, the wart is no longer infectious. The procedure itself is painless; A special nozzle is incorporated into the laser, which cools the exposure site. In addition, one or more analgesic injections are given before the operation. The patient usually feels a slight tingling sensation during the procedure. After removal of the neoplasm, no traces remain, as the laser directly burns the diseased tissue. The laser method allows maximum control of the depth of exposure, which is individual in each case. Therefore, even with deep tissue injuries, it is possible to completely remove the roots, which means that the new growth of the wart can be prevented.
The operation is carried out in sterile conditions, there is no direct contact with the skin or the wart and the duration of the operation is only a few minutes. The positive results of laser assisted plantar wart removal also make this method the most attractive.
The main disadvantage of laser plantar wart removal is the high cost, which usually includes consultation with a doctor, anesthesia, and the operation itself. Also, after removal, the wound heals for a long time and requires hygiene.
Plantar warts treatment
Before treating a plantar wart, you need to make sure that the diagnosis is accurate, and then proceed directly to the procedures. In addition to surgery, your doctor may prescribe immunotherapy and topical medications.
The need for immunotherapy, as a rule, is justified, since the disease is caused by a virus, which, when the body is weakened, is actively developing. Local immunotherapeutic agents directly target the virus in two ways. In the first case, the drug stimulates the immune system, and in the second, an antigen is injected into the wart's body, which also activates the immune system, so the wart can disappear faster.
Treatment of a plantar wart takes a long time, it is important not to forget to strengthen the immune system and observe hygiene. If you do not apply removal and treatment, the wart can disappear on its own for more than a year, while a person is a source of infection for everyone around them. You should carefully consider this unpleasant disease and be sure to consult a dermatologist, who will definitely tell you how and how to treat a plantar wart.
Treatment of a plantar wart is directly dependent on compliance with all hygiene standards and doctor's prescriptions, daily treatment of education is a guarantee of successful recovery.
Treatment at home
Any new skin formation cannot be ignored, as the strain of cancer is growing all over the world. Do not ignore the appointment with a specialist, he can prescribe a treatment for a plantar wart at home. In this case, special solutions, ointments and a wart dressing are usually prescribed.
Ointments are one of the gentlest treatment methods; they act on the wart itself, as a result of which it gradually dies and disappears. The following types of ointments are used in the treatment:
- antiviral ointment;
- acid-based ointment;
- various herbal ointments.
Most often, salicylic acid ointments and oxolinic ointments are prescribed. Any type of ointment is placed on the wart several times a day according to the instructions. When treating a plantar wart, before applying the drug, it should be steamed in warm water beforehand. It is advisable to apply any ointment at night so as not to have to step on the formation and wash off the ointment.
To get rid of plantar warts at home, you can use a salicylic acid patch. This product is low cost and proven effective. The plaster is sold in pharmacies without a prescription, the principle of use is very simple: a wart is glued with a piece of plaster, and an ordinary medical plaster is fixed on top. 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 for long without a patch. As the treatment progresses, the wart area decreases, after 12 hours it becomes covered with a scab, which then disappears. After a successful cure, a small pinkish spot remains on the skin, which should completely disappear over time.
Care must be taken when applying the patch; When applying, you should avoid healthy skin areas, otherwise serious irritation may occur. There are contraindications to using this method to remove the wart, so the decision on the appointment of the patch must be made by the doctor.
Another way to treat plantar warts at home is hyperthermia. Wart-affected feet are soaked in the hottest water possible. These 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 can be used, similar to wart removal with liquid nitrogen. To do this, you can use special applicator pens or sprays. As with cryodestruction, several applications may be necessary.
Treatment with home remedies.
Despite the fact that modern medicines are much more effective and with their help the process of removing plantar warts is faster, the effectiveness of treatment with folk remedies cannot be denied. Traditional medicine has accumulated vast 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 with celandine at the pharmacy, which contains, in addition to the juice of celandine, other herbal extracts. The juice is applied once or twice a day to the affected area.
- Acetic acid, along with various additional agents, is also used to remove warts. In addition to acid, onions and flour are used. You can drip the acid directly onto the affected area, but this method is quite dangerous due to the high risk of severe 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 preliminarily treated with an abrasive nail file.
- Garlic is another popular remedy for treating warts. The formation should be rubbed with raw garlic until it completely disappears, but this method can not be used for more than three weeks.
- The banana peel is applied with the inside to the affected area of the skin, it is believed that it can remove the wart.
To identify the site of the injury and not touch the adjacent tissue, you can use a piece of adhesive plaster. A hole the size of the neoplasm is made and the adjacent healthy skin remains intact. This prevents burns and other injuries.
Plantar wart in a child
With age, a person develops immunity to HPV, so children and young people are more susceptible to this infection. Most often, the disease affects children over the age of five. A doctor will help you recognize a plantar wart in a child, as in some cases it can look like an old corn.
Although plantar warts in a child disappear on their own, 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 and painful discomfort when walking, therefore, it requires immediate treatment and a visit to the doctor. Our service contains proven pediatric dermatologists and reviews about them, according to which you can choose a good specialist for your child.
Because children are sensitive to pain, therapy is difficult to find. To begin with, you need to use various ointments - they are affordable, easy to use, and effective. Home remedies are also widely used, the safety of which there is no doubt.
The effective methods to remove plantar warts in children are liquid nitrogen and laser removal. Removing warts with these methods is one of the most radical methods. They are used when solutions and ointments do not have the desired effect.
After healing, it is important not to forget about the prevention of plantar warts in children. This is strengthening the immune system, careful hygiene, and wearing the right comfortable shoes. It should be remembered that the risk of infection is especially high in public places and from someone else, so you need to ensure that the child does not walk in someone else's shoes or barefoot. Any item that has come into direct contact with the formation should be thoroughly washed at a high temperature. All of these actions will help prevent the development of the virus in the future.
Danger
If the procedure to remove plantar warts is not carried out in time, this can have serious consequences, such as:
- the appearance of warts on other areas of the skin;
- skin cancer.
Doctors strongly recommend not to self-medicate: cutting, piercing or cauterizing warts will make the situation worse and lead to the formation of new warts.
At-risk group
The risk group is:
- people with hormonal disorders in the body;
- HIV infected.
Prophylaxis
For the prevention of plantar warts, patients are advised to:
- strengthen 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;
- in public places (changing rooms, showers) do not walk barefoot.