Plantar warts are veryan unpleasant benign neoplasm of the soft tissues of the foot. At first, after the appearance of such a wart, a person most often does not pay any attention to it. And it is not surprising - it is small, does not interfere, is not in a visible place. But believe me - this is all for the time being. The plantar wart grows slowly but surely. And when it reaches a certain size, painful sensations will appear. At first they will not be very strong, but gradually, day after day, they will turn your life into continuous torment. If you start treating the wart, very soon it will be painful for you not only to walk in shoes, but even just to stand barefoot on the carpet. In order to prevent such an unpleasant situation, it is very important to notice the appearance of a plantar wart in time. And not just notice, but start treating it. And in order for you to be able to do this, you need to have at least a general idea of what plantar warts are and how to treat them.
The causes of the development of warts
Despite the fact that any wart isthe neoplasm is benign, it does not develop in healthy people. The appearance of warts is caused by the papilloma virus, which, as a rule, penetrates the human body through small, and sometimes even invisible, cuts and abrasions on the skin. The human papilloma virus provokes the development of all warts without exception. They can appear on any area of the skin, on the face. But plantar warts, as you might guess, appear on the feet. Doctors talk about a very interesting fact - they believe that almost every adult is infected with the papilloma virus. But why then does not every person have warts? After all, it is quite natural that where there is a virus, there are these harmless at first glance benign warts? In fact, everything is explained simply. The virus, entering the body of a healthy person, is immediately subjected to a strong attack by the immune system. Unfortunately, it dies extremely rarely - in most cases, the virus simply goes into hibernation. And it sleeps until the immune system weakens for one reason or another. That's when the human papillomavirus's finest hour comes. And as a result of this finest hour - a wart or even several, depending on how weakened the immune system is. That is why many people noted that their first warts appeared soon after a cold or flu. And sometimes just severe stress at work or extreme fatigue is enough - this also has a very negative effect on the immune system.
How to understand that you have a wart?
Confusing a plantar wart with a callusvery difficult, but nevertheless, many people regularly manage to do this and are eager to simply cut it off. And they understand their mistake only when they find drops of blood on the blade and feel a burning pain. But if it were a callus, there would simply be transparent discharge. But doctors never stop repeating that it is better not to use this diagnostic method - there is always a small, but still a risk of a benign tumor degenerating into a malignant one. And trauma is the strongest provoking factor. Therefore, try to understand whether you have a wart in front of you using more gentle methods. And there are at least two of them:
- Appearance of warts
First, carefully examine the growth onfoot. Plantar warts always have clearly defined borders, are oval in shape and rise above the skin level by several centimeters. The color of a plantar wart is from light to dark shades of brown. And in its very center there is always a darkening - these are large blood vessels that feed the wart. The skin around
- Painful sensations
Another very good way to understand, wartin front of you - press on it. In the event that it is a common callus, the pain will be felt precisely in the neoplasm. And if you are dealing with a wart, then the skin around it will hurt the most. Although in the event that the wart is very large, the pain will be so intense that it is almost impossible to accurately determine its location - the entire foot hurts. In principle, plantar warts are plantar for a reason - they can form on any area of the skin on the foot. However, most often they occur in those places that bear the main pressure of the body. This is why severe pain occurs later and when walking.
Human papillomavirus
It is very common to become infected with the human papillomavirus.simply because it is almost everywhere. And there are more than enough microcracks - entry points for the virus - on the skin of any person. But you can still try to reduce the likelihood of infection. To do this, you need to follow a number of simple rules:
- Bare feet
You shouldn't walk barefoot, except on sandy beaches. It's not clear why, but the papilloma virus doesn't live in sand. And, of course, no one requires you to wear slippers all the time at home either.
- Skin condition
It is very important to keep your feet clean anddry. In a humid environment, the papilloma virus feels very at ease, so you should not create a comfortable environment for it. Wash your feet regularly and dry them thoroughly, change your socks. And if any wounds appear on the skin, immediately treat them - at least with simple iodine.
- Public places
Healthy lifestyle latelyis becoming very popular and this is actually great. But at the same time, the spread of the human papilloma virus has increased. Which, however, is not surprising - shared showers, changing rooms, exercise machines, a swimming pool. Be sure to remember the basic rules of personal hygiene and always strictly follow them!
Treatment of plantar warts
The correct treatment for this affliction consists of two things:stages. The first and most important stage is antiviral therapy, which is necessary to destroy the virus robbing the body. Unfortunately, many people simply ignore this stage - and in vain: otherwise, warts will appear again and again. And the second stage of treatment is the removal of an existing wart. Doctors offer several methods at once:
- Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is freezing the wartusing liquid nitrogen. Using a special applicator, the doctor applies nitrogen to the surface of the wart for a while. After a few hours, a blister will appear at the site of the wart treatment, resembling a common burn. The wart tissue will begin to slowly die off - in about 10 days, the crust will fall off along with the wart. If the freezing was done correctly and healthy tissue is not damaged, scars almost never occur.
- Electrocoagulation
This method of wart removal is simple.The high-frequency current damages the blood vessels that feed the wart. Soon, the tissues of the neoplasm, deprived of nutrition, die. On average, this process takes about 10 days. The main disadvantage of this method of removing warts is the high probability of developing a scar. In addition, one cannot remain silent about the painful sensations experienced during the procedure itself.
- Laser ray
Laser is the most popular todaya favorite method of removing any benign skin growths, including plantar warts. There are many advantages to laser beam exposure. Firstly, there is no pain during the procedure, secondly, it is minimally traumatic, and thirdly, there are no scars.
Folk remedies for warts
In some cases, people refusesurgical removal of warts. The reasons for this refusal are different and it is not our task to understand them. But before making such a decision, remember - all the risks of self-medication fall on you and only you. In addition, if antiviral therapy is not carried out, the human papillomavirus in the human body will sooner or later provoke the appearance of a new wart. In addition, pregnant women, children and adolescents, as well as people suffering from diabetes should never try to get rid of a wart on their own. It is simply impossible to predict what the consequences of self-medication will be in this case. Therefore, do not risk your health under any circumstances.
- Garlic
The surest way to get rid of anywarts - including plantar warts - garlic. If you have very little time to prepare complex remedies, you can try the simplest one. Peel several cloves of garlic, pass them through a garlic press and leave for a few minutes. Then apply the garlic gruel to the body of the wart and cover with plastic wrap, put on a thick sock on top. After about one and a half to two minutes, you will feel a slight burning sensation, which indicates that the process is proceeding normally. After 20 minutes, wash off the garlic with cool water and lubricate with baby cream. Repeat this procedure for five days in a row, and then take a two-day break. The duration of such a course of treatment is no more than a month. Sometimes, immediately after applying the gruel, a person feels a very strong burning sensation. In this case, it must be washed off immediately, and next time add a few drops of any vegetable oil to the onion gruel. And the procedure itself should be done not every evening, but every other day. If the wart is very large, it is best to use a garlic flatbread. To prepare it, you will need garlic, flour and a little vegetable oil. Peel and chop the garlic, add flour and vegetable oil, knead the dough. Then pinch off a small piece, form a flatbread and apply to the wart. Put a piece of gauze on top, secure with adhesive tape and leave overnight. The procedure should be done every other day for a month.
- Onion
It is very rare, but it still happens that garlichas too strong an effect on the wart. In this case, you should give up garlic and try onions - it acts more gently, but no less effectively. Well, perhaps the course of treatment will last a little longer - about a month and a half. Take a quarter of a small onion, peel it and chop finely. Then put the onion in a deep plate, pour apple cider vinegar over it and leave for an hour. After that, the onion will become soft - you can mash it with a fork. Drain the vinegar, and apply the resulting onion mass to the plantar wart, cover with plastic wrap and leave for at least two hours. You will not experience any unpleasant sensations, so you can leave the onion compress for a longer period - for example, overnight. Therefore, the procedure should be done in the evening, before going to bed. The treatment should be carried out daily, until the plantar wart disappears completely. Just don't forget to lubricate the wart with vegetable oil in the morning. It is necessary to mention one very important detail - skin protection. Your goal is to cause the death of pathological tissues of plantar warts, but not the healthy skin that is around the wart. Therefore, it is imperative to protect it. You can take the path of least resistance and simply lubricate the skin with a thick layer of any fatty cream before each procedure, and ideally with Vaseline. Or you can use a more reliable method - an adhesive bandage. Take a piece of adhesive tape, cut a hole in it of such a diameter that the wart can get through and stick it to the skin. But remember - the adhesive bandage can cause irritation, so change it every three to four days. We recommend reading:
