WARTS
Warts are thickened skin lesions that appear similar to corns or callouses, usually with a bumpier surface, but are distinctly different. Warts are actually viral infections of the skin. These virus particles affect only the skin and do not cause systemic illness (like the flu). The term "verruca" is also used for a wart.
These can occur wherever there is skin. They can hurt when they are on the foot, because if they are located in an area of pressure, they will become thickened and get irritated. On the bottom of the foot, because we are walking on them, they can become very calloused, causing even more potential irritation and pain. These are called "plantar warts" because the bottom of the foot is referred to as the "plantar" surface.
Because they are infections, the body can respond to them and fight them off. So they will go away after some time. However, sometimes it takes some time for the body to recognize their presence because they are so superficial, and the warts can remain for a while. Clearly, some people are more susceptible than others.
Treatment of warts
If left alone, warts will usually go away by themselves. How long this takes is varied and unpredictable. The risk in waiting is that a wart can enlarge or spread (to other locations); however, they can also remain the same and eventually go away.
There are many treatments that have been developed for eradicating warts. This indicates that there has not been one surefire way to eliminate them. There is a relatively high failure and recurrence rate, particularly in the foot.
Common methods of treatment include:
Freezing
Applying chemicals to it
Burning or destroying it
Surgical removal
Currently, the most common method of treating warts in this office is the application of cantharidin. Cantharidin causes an acute inflammatory reaction to the area of application, which in this case would include the wart, hopefully eliminating it in the process. Other methods used are topical fluorouracil and surgical excision.