Verrucae Pedis/ Plantar Warts
Verrucae Pedis or more commonly known as ‘plantar warts,’ are often painful lesions that appear on the sole of the foot. They can appear as a ‘cauliflower’ cluster of raised callus or can be singular callused lesions with a central black dot.
They are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) entering the skin through breaks and cuts which cause a reaction in the skin. HPV is commonly found in moist environments such as swimming pools and showers and is very common in younger children.
Your body should fight the viral infection and build immunity just like the common cold. However, our body cannot always do this itself. If the lesion is painful or spreading then you should seek professional advice from our podiatrists. There are a number of different treatment methods which our podiatrist can do that are successful in stimulating your own immune response to allow the plantar wart to resolve.
These include:
- Cryotherapy – this is the application of liquid Nitrogen to freeze the wart. This creates a controlled burn to the wart tissue
- Salicylic acid – this method creates a chemical burn
- Silver Nitrate – cauterises the lesion
- Over the counter options can also be discussed and recommended where appropriate and should never be used unless an accurate diagnosis has been given by a podiatrist
To find out what is growing on your foot and causing you discomfort, and how to manage it correctly, please call the clinic on 9596 8418 to make an appointment.
