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(EMAILWIRE.COM, September 04, 2009 ) Wauwatosa, WI - "Warts occur when the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) invades the body through tiny cuts or breaks in the skin on the bottom of the feet. The virus is encountered on contaminated surfaces, such as the tile floor of public locker rooms, showers, hotel rooms and swimming pools, but not everyone who comes in contact with the virus gets infected," explains Dr. Chris Milkie, a Wauwatosa podiatrist. Plantar warts are benign (non-cancerous) growths that occur on the sole (plantar surface), heel or ball of the foot. Pressure from standing and walking often causes causes them to grow into deep layers of the skin.
There are over 100 different kinds of HPV, the virus that causes plantar warts. In some cases, this HPV virus dies with 1 or 2 years, and the warts simply disappear. Other types of HPV viruses can survive for many years and even multiply. Since it is impossible to know which HPV is causing the warts, it is best to treat all warts to protect the risk of spreading.
Plantar warts usually are rough and spongy. Most are gray, brown or yellow with dark pinpoints. Scraping a wart may cause it to bleed because they have many blood vessels. Warts may cause foot pain. Patients often feel a lump on the bottom of the foot which can look like a callous or foot blisters. Many patients come in to our foot clinic thinking they have a callous only to find out it is a wart. Left untreated, warts can grow up to 1 inch in circumference and may spread into clusters (called mosaic warts).
"There are many different options to treat plantar warts," Dr. Milkie continues, "and there are several over-the-counter medications that contain chemicals that can destroy the virus, but they don't work very often. Other treatments options are: having your foot doctor apply strong acid, cold therapy, laser treatment, or cutting them out. There isn't one treatment that is more effective than another; treating warts is usually a trial and error process."
The best treatment for warts is to prevent them from invading your feet. The following may help prevent plantar warts: Avoid walking barefoot whenever possible, change shoes and socks daily, keep your feet clean and dry, check your children's feet periodically, and avoid direct contact with warts, whether they're on your body or someone else's.
But it's always best to get warts checked out- If you have a spot on your foot that you are unsure about, it is always best to play it safe and have it evaluated by a podiatrist- although warts are treatable, other skin lesions can be cancerous.
Visit Dr. Chris Milkie's blog at http://www.mayfairfootclinic.com/blog/ for more information on prescription orthotics, and many other treatments to relieve foot and ankle conditions, or to get information on the newest, and highly successful laser treatment for toenail fungus.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Milkie, or to learn more about Mayfair Foot Clinic, visit http://www.mayfairfootclinic.com/
Mayfair Foot Clinic
Dr. Chris Milkie
414-257-0676
webmaster@mayfairfootclinic.com 
Source: EmailWire.com
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