Both common warts and plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but differ mainly in their location. Common warts appear on visible areas like hands, elbows, and knees, while plantar warts grow beneath the foot’s sole. This overview explains the key differences and treatment options for both types.
How often do common and plantar warts occur
The virus causing warts is contagious but requires a lesion to spread. Common warts are widespread on exposed areas, whereas plantar warts are less frequent and mostly affect children and adolescents who frequent public swimming pools.
Warts with very different appearances
Common warts are rough, generally skin-colored or grayish, usually singular, and rarely painful. They typically measure only a few millimeters.
The plantar wart, on the other hand, appears in two forms: Myrmecia and Mosaic Wart.
Myrmecia is a single, deep wart surrounded by a ring of hard skin with small black dots (blood vessels). It causes pain when walking and can sometimes bleed.
The mosaic plantar wart is multiple and superficial, covering a larger area with little to no pain.
Are common warts and plantar warts dangerous?
Warts themselves are not dangerous, but professional help is advisable if the wart resists home treatment, spreads, becomes red, or in plantar warts, spreads under the toenails.
Consult a podiatrist if concerned about infecting others or to rule out rare malignant tumors, especially for plantar warts.
Complications associated with common and plantar warts
Complications from plantar warts are more problematic due to their location, potentially causing open wounds exposed to bacterial infections.
These complications may include athlete’s foot, diabetic foot sores, painful ulcers, or plantar abscesses.
People with diabetes, elderly individuals, and those with excessive sweating or dry skin are more at risk.
Can we treat a common wart in the same way as a plantar wart?
Both common and plantar warts can generally be treated at home.
For recurring plantar warts, professional treatments available in a podiatry clinic include:
- Bleomycin injection
- Laser treatment
- Minor surgery
- Nitrogen treatment
- Canthacur treatment
A plantar wart does not go away? Consult a podiatrist!
Unlike common warts, plantar warts are harder to detect, so regular inspection of the feet, especially after visiting public pools, is important.
If a persistent plantar wart develops, you should consult your podiatrist.