Warts

A wart is a skin lesion infected with a virus.  It can occur in any part of the foot but is typically appears on the plantar side (bottom) of the foot.  Children, adolescents, and the elderly are most vulnerable to getting plantar warts. Plantar warts may present as a solitary lesion or as a cluster called mosaic lesions. 

Symptoms of plantar warts include thickened skin, pain during walking and standing, pain when the sides of the wart are squeezed, and the appearance of tiny black punctate dots on the surface of the wart.

Plantar warts are caused by direct contact with the human papilloma virus (HPV). The virus is typically acquired in environments where people walk barefoot. These areas include swimming pools, locker rooms, public showers, gymnastics/martial arts classes. Warts can also be spread at home if other family members are infected with them and preventative measures are not taken. Those with weak immune systems are predisposed to getting wart infections as well. 

Some wart infections do self-resolve; however, many do require intervention by a foot and ankle surgeon. Treatment of warts by the foot and ankle surgeon include topical or oral medications, cryotherapy (freezing), or surgery. Laser cauterization is an effective way to treat warts. It is not unusual for wart infections to recur.