Monday, April 26, 2010

Why You Shouldn't Step On A Frog

Why You Shouldn’t Step On A Frog

Warts are a funny thing. As a kid, you hear how you shouldn’t play with frogs because warts will grow on your hands. If you’ve ever had one, you know they don’t feel like any other part of your skin. If you’ve ever ripped one, you know they seem to bleed forever. Warts (or verruca) can be rough, but spongy when you press on them. The truth is that warts not only grow on hands, but can show up on the face and of course, the feet. Common ones are plantar warts that show up on the bottom of your feet. They are caused by the human papilloma virus and can be contagious. Warts can spread to other areas of the body and particularly children and those with weak immune systems are susceptible to the virus.
So how do you know if you have one? Warts on the bottom of the foot will typically look like a small round callus. There are a couple of ways to help differentiate a callous from a wart. If you squeeze a wart from side to side, it will hurt, where a callous will not. Both a callous and a wart may be painful to walk on. A second way to help determine if it is a wart or a callous is the appearance. A wart will have tiny black spots throughout the wart. Warts are commonly mistaken for a number of other skin conditions, so the best way to be completely sure is to have it checked out by your podiatrist.
There are a few ways to avoid plantar warts. Try not to go barefoot in the public hotspots, including gym showers, locker rooms, or around the public pool. This is when it is a good idea to wear sandals or flip flops to help protect the feet. So what if you have one? First your podiatrist will want to properly diagnose the skin condition. If you do have a wart then there are a few treatment options. As discussed, a wart is a virus and they can be difficult to treat. Most treatments work by trying to induce the body’s immune system to fight the wart. Podiatrists do this by irritating it with a topical acid compounds, freezing it, lasers, or surgical excision of the wart. If you have this, or any other concerns with your feet, come in and see Dr. Grimm or Dr. Pattison at Foot Associates of Central Texas.