What are warts?
A wart is a tough, skin-colored growth that develops on the weight-bearing areas of your feet, like the balls or the heels. They occur when a strain of the HPV virus makes it through a cut or another break in your skin.
Anyone can experience a wart, but they’re especially common in children and teens. Most warts go away on their own, but if they affect your quality of life, make an appointment with a podiatrist at North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists.
What are the symptoms of warts?
Symptoms of warts include:
- A small, grainy, flesh-colored bump
- Hard, thickened skin
- A visible lump with a black dot in the middle
- Pain or tenderness when standing
As the wart grows bigger, you might also experience difficulty walking or exercising.
When should I visit a podiatrist about warts?
Make an appointment at North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists if:
- Your wart is bleeding, painful, or changes color
- You have diabetes or poor circulation
- You have a weakened immune system
- You’re unsure the lesion is a wart
It’s also a good idea to visit North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists if you try various at-home treatments but do not see an improvement in your symptoms.
Do warts increase the risk of other foot-related issues?
Yes. If you have one (or several warts), they can affect your posture and gait. For example, if you have a wart on the ball of your foot, you might change the way you walk to avoid putting pressure on it. Over time, those changes can result in other musculoskeletal issues like leg, hip, or back pain.
How are warts diagnosed?
To diagnose a wart, your North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists provider asks about your symptoms and physically examines the bottom of your foot. If they’re concerned about the appearance of the wart, your provider might remove a piece of the lesion and send it to a laboratory for additional testing.
How are warts treated?
Treatment of warts depends on their size, the severity of your symptoms, and their effect on your daily life. Usually, North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists recommends an outpatient procedure like peeling the wart with salicylic acid or removing the wart with cryotherapy.
Salicylic acid is a prescription-strength medication that removes your wart one layer of skin at a time. Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart. Following treatment, the tissue dies and eventually peels off.
If cryotherapy or peeling isn’t successful, North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists might recommend topical or oral wart treatments or laser therapy.
To explore the various treatment options for warts, make an appointment at North Florida Foot & Ankle Specialists by calling the nearest office today or click the online scheduling feature.
