Do you feel as if you are walking on a pebble? Is it painful when you put weight on your foot? The problem could be a wart. When a wart grows on pressure areas such as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, it grows inward instead of outward. This is a plantar wart. It is flat, light-colored and has tiny dots inside. A plantar wart may look like a callus. One or more can develop at the same time. Some are painless and some are quite painful.

Warts are caused by a virus that enters the skin through tiny breaks where damage has occurred. Plantar warts may be spread by the virus in places such as swimming pool areas or showers. Wearing shower shoes will lessen exposure and keep you from spreading the virus. Over time, plantar warts disappear on their own. If they do not bother you, it is often best to leave them alone.

It is possible to remove plantar warts. Some success for removing painful plantar warts has been reported by the repeated and extended applications of salicylic acid. The acid, available in drug stores, works by softening the callus over the wart, exposing the virus. Apply the acid at night, and rub the whitened skin off in the morning. During the day, apply a donut-shaped pad over the wart for cushioning and pain relief. Do not use salicylic acid if you have diabetes or peripheral vascular disease.

If the pain is intense, seek medical evaluation. Other methods of dealing with plantar warts include injecting them with medication, freezing them with liquid nitrogen, and removing them with surgery.

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