Warts are quite common and they are the outcome of some of the most common viral infection of the skin. Plantar warts on the other hand are warts that tend to specifically grow on the plantar surface of the foot which is located on the sole. However, it is caused by the same virus that brings about the common warts, human papillomavirus, but it only infects the superficial portion of the human skin. Plantar warts can easily be identified because they manifest as thickened callus-like growths.
Plantar warts can become a source of constant irritation especially if it grows in the foot areas that are regularly subjected to pressure. When the plantar worth grows tender, it can become a bit painful if consistently pressed and although plantar warts usually get cured spontaneously of its own accord, it could well warrant treatment more than ever if it affects an individual’s ability to walk.
There is no set time of incubation for plantar warts and they can start appearing between months to even years from the onset of the infection. There are over a hundred types of HPV or human papillomavirus however only specific strains of the virus can cause warts, and plantar warts at that.
However, one has to be always on the watch since warts are omnipresent infections and it has been estimated that over half of the adult population will be infected by warts at some point in their mature lives and ten percent of these wart infections are going to be plantar warts. The demographics that are generally affected by plantar warts are individuals between the age of twelve to sixteen and they rarely affect the elderly.
It is quite hard to determine where one gets the virus that causes plantar warts but some of the of the risk factors in the development of plantar warts include a weak immune system brought about by a long illness or certain types of medication, skin trauma from an accident, and the use of public showers.
Aside from the usual manifestations of the growths, some of the signs that you have warts include foot pain that feels like lumps at the bottom of your feet, back or leg pain, scaly and firm lesions with tiny dark spots inside (although the dark spots do not always show). The plantar warts appear smooth on the surface and they are yellowish or sometimes brown in colour. They are located on the bottom portion of the foot and they cluster over the usual areas of pressure like the ball of the foot and the heel and because of the pressure that is applied when you walk or stand, these warts usually appear as flat. Some warts may even fuse together forming a mosaic design.
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