Warts

Warts can sometimes be confused with a corn as a wart can be covered up with hard skin, making it look like a corn. Warts on the bottom of the feet (Plantar Warts) are often painful and need special treatment because they are pushed inwards from pressure so most of the wart is hidden under the skin.

The main difference between a wart & a corn is:

o    Warts are viruses that infect the skin by embedding themselves deep enough into the skin to feed off your blood vessels. You can see these blood vessels as little black dots. Warts are also highly contagious.

o    Corns are part of your skin and are caused by friction &/or pressure.

An easy way to tell them apart is by looking at the epidermal ridges/skin lines. If the lines move around it then it is a wart. If the lines go through it, it's a corn.

While 'over the counter' treatments may work for most warts on other parts of the body, they don't often work on plantar warts because you are only treating the surface of the wart while most of it lies under the skin.

A podiatrist can help bring the wart to the surface by using a combination of acids, deflective padding & regular debridement. Cutting plantar warts out surgically can actually cause more problems because you are left with a scar that becomes painful to walk on.

With professional help, plantar warts can be eliminated.