Foot warts

Foot warts

Warts are flat thickenings on the soles of the feet and are in almost all cases harmless. They are caused by a virus that causes a thickening of the skin. With constant pressure from the weight of the body, the warts can become painful or feel tender. Foot warts can be infected by direct and indirect contact. You can treat warts on your feet yourself with products from the pharmacy.

What are foot warts?

Warts are thickenings on the soles of the feet that look like ragged pits and often with dark dots. The small, dark dots can be seen more clearly by scraping away a little of the top layer of skin. They come from small blood vessels that have become clogged in the tissue. Because of the thick skin on the soles of the feet, warts under the soles of the feet are often deeper than warts on the face and hands. It is not abnormal to have several warts in one area under the foot. Foot warts are called verruca plantaris in the technical language.

Cause of foot warts

Foot warts are caused by a variant of the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes the skin layer to thicken. It is not the same variant that causes genital warts. The virus in the foot wart changes the skin cells so that it leads to an increased number of skin cells. Warts are most common among school-age children and teenagers. The incidence decreases with age and only 15 per cent of cases are in those over 35.

Do foot warts go away by themselves?Warts tend to disappear on their own because they are taken care of by the body's own immune system. This process can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. To speed up the process, the wart can be treated with dissolving treatment or freezing treatment.

Foot warts or corns?

It can be difficult to distinguish foot warts from corns. Foot warts will differ from corns in that warts often have dark dots under the top layer of skin. Corns will usually be more yellow in colour. Corns can also occur after the removal of warts, as calluses will form after the removal. If you are unsure, you can contact your nearest pharmacy or doctor.

Are foot warts contagious?Foot warts are contagious and can become infected by either direct or indirect contact. Indirect contact can, for example, be through the floor in public showers or swimming pools.

Prevention of foot warts

As warts are contagious through direct and indirect contact, infection can be avoided by:

• Use swimming shoes in public showers and swimming pools.

• Dry your legs well after showering in a public shower.

• Wearing shoes in public sports halls.

• Do not share nail clippers.

• Avoid sharing towels, shoes and socks.

• Files or pumice stones that have been used on the wart must not be used on healthy skin.

• It may be a good idea to check for warts under the children's feet. This is where foot warts are most common.

Treatment of foot warts

Warts on the soles of the feet can often be difficult to treat and can take a long time. For foot warts, so-called dissolving treatment is the first choice. Freezing treatment can also be used as an alternative or in addition to dissolving treatment.