If a hard and rough papule with a rough tip appears on the soles of the feet, it is either a plantar wart or a callus. The differences are significant, primarily in the origin and methods of treatment. The wart grows like a sharp thorn in the inner layer of the skin of the foot, causing severe pain. Doctors recommend removing this swelling of the skin if the shoes damage and inflame it.
Appearance of growth on the sole
The main part of the common wart on the foot grows inward, into the dermis. The reason is that the outside of the tumor is compressed by hard surfaces: shoes, various linings that we walk on. New growth cells emerge from the soft tissue of the skin. In the photograph of the plantar wart, a thick plate or roller is visible from the outside. The surface of the formation is deprived of the skin line, it consists of scales of a horny substance. The adjacent skin changes: it becomes thicker, covered with a layer of keratin.
What a plantar wart looks like:
- nodule or plaque raised above the epidermis by 1–5 mm; The
- shape is round, oval or polygonal;
- The surface is hard and rough to the touch;
- pink, yellow-white or gray;
- formation diameter from 1 to 20 mm;
- missing papillary pattern;
- edges well defined.
A wart on the foot is characterized by acute pain that interferes with walking, all the way to temporary disability.
Accumulation occurs in areas exposed to intense pressure and sweating. Typical localization of the nipple on the sole: heels, pads of the feet and toes. Painful and difficult to remove formations appear on the edge of the nail and under the nail plate. Inside all types of warts are blood vessels that feed living tissues, cells that multiply intensively. Small black spots are visible on the surface - blood clots in the capillaries; may bleed when the stratum corneum is cut.
Plantar warts are most common in school-age children. In about 30% of patients, such formations disappear on their own during the first year. However, it is recommended to start treatment when the first symptoms appear, especially if the plantar wart hurts or there is a high risk of infecting the surrounding people. The infection is also dangerous, when a group of formations appears in one area, individual papules merge into a mosaic plate.
Wart - manifestation of papilloma virus
The skin on your feet is often damaged, tight and sweaty when wearing tight and uncomfortable shoes. If thin layers of blisters with clear liquid in them appear, then they are corns. Sometimes a layer of keratin forms on the surface, but even so, typical skin lines remain.
The appearance of a wart on the soles initially goes unnoticed or is perceived as callus formation. It is necessary to look carefully at the surface of the formation and pay attention to the characteristic signs. This is a serious keratinization, the absence of skin lines, pain when the surrounding skin is compressed. These are the results of active reproduction of papillomavirus in living epithelial cells.
Causes of plantar warts:
- Papillomavirus (HPV) infection;
- weakening of local and general immune defenses;
- virus activation, penetration into epithelial cells;
- increased proliferation and rapid keratinization of infected cells.
HPV is transmitted through household and sexual contact. Infectious agents penetrate even minor damage to the skin and mucous membranes: cracks, cuts, crying.
Type 1, 2, 4, 27, and 57 papilloma viruses predominantly infect cells located in the skin of the feet. Plantar growth of growths of viral origin belongs to simple formations (ordinary, vulgar). According to the International Classification of Diseases, they are contagious and parasitic diseases. Class ICD-10: "Viral infections characterized by lesions of the skin and mucous membranes. "
Simple warts are benign epithelial tumors. Initially, they do not pose a health hazard. Sometimes such growths turn into a malignant transformation into a cancerous tumor. The process is more often initiated by HPV types with a high risk of developing cancer.
Treatment of foot warts
After infection, the incubation period begins: the papilloma virus attacks the cells, "reformatting" their reproduction and development. Much more often the infection becomes latent and in such an inactive state can exist throughout the life of the organism. In this case, the immune system suppresses the papilloma virus, switching it to sleep without special therapy.
Plantar warts can appear 3-10 years later or a few weeks after infection and then disappear in the first year or within two years.
Not everyone is ready to wait, counting on spontaneous healing and cleansing of the skin from growths. Many go to the doctor at the first sign of HPV infection. Dermatologists suggest the use of modern methods of removing warts, recommend antiviral therapy, strengthening the immune system of the skin and the whole body.
If the type of HPV needs to be determined for adequate therapy selection, then the doctor prescribes several additional studies. A biopsy is performed to collect histological material, and an analysis is performed to determine antibodies to the papilloma virus.
Treatment options:
- Use of special medicines for plantar warts. Dead cells dissolve and peel.
- Laser excision of simple neoplasms to create a scab under which healing takes place. The bark disappears 7-10 days after the procedure.
- Cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen. Large warts are removed in several procedures. When exposed to low temperatures, a blister appears, as after a burn.
- Electrocoagulation using an electrode through which a high frequency current is applied to destroy pathological tissues. Painful procedure accompanied by a strong smell of burning skin.
- Surgical removal.
- Drug injection.
At the beginning of treatment, it is recommended to use a special patch at home. This affordable remedy is used after softening the wart on the foot with warm water, cleansing from keratinized layers with nail scissors and bluish. The patch is then applied. The course of treatment lasts on average 1–3 months.
Prevent
Papilloma viruses can last a long time in the environment. It is necessary to keep your feet clean, not to go without shoes, especially in public locker rooms, bathrooms, by the pool. Special slippers should be used to protect the soles from contact with surfaces contaminated with foreign skin particles. Also, do not wear other people's socks and shoes.
Do not scratch the nipple, otherwise similar growths will appear on other parts of the leg.
Papilloma viruses are extremely contagious. Disinfect accessories for daily hygiene and application of medications. Socks and foot towel should be washed well with hot water, disinfected with scissors, nail file, blue. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after touching education, various medical procedures.