The time has come for swimming pools and baths, for sun and water and for walking barefoot. The time comes for take care of our feet and those of our children because between some things and others, The time comes for cumbersome plantar warts.
I don't know if you know them, if you have suffered them or if you or your children are suffering them now. The fact is that we have talked about them with Montse Roca, a pharmacist, graduated in Food Science and Technology and founder of the Pharma 2.0 video blog and also the mother of a girl who has or has had this kind of problems on her feet, how the theme sounds to me this summer too!
What is a plantar wart, Montse?
Plantar warts are small flat lesions with a rough surface that appear on the sole of the foot. They can be presented in isolation or in a group and Sometimes they are quite painful.
Due to the appearance of this type of warts, they can be confused with corns or crow's eyes, however they can be observed inside, although not always, a kind of black spots that do not have calluses.
And why do they occur and why do we all know even if we have not suffered them, that they are so contagious?
Plantar warts are caused by a virus, specifically the human papillomavirus, for this reason they are also known as papillomas. When the virus comes into contact with the skin and finds the ideal conditions to stay and reproduce it infects the epithelial cells causing the wart.
This type of warts can appear on any part of the body and yes, they are very contagious, even in the same person, who can start by having one and end up with a few.
Wow Well then how to avoid them, is there any way?
It is essential to use flip flops in public places such as swimming pools, gyms or changing rooms, do not exchange shoes, maintain proper hygiene and always try to keep your feet dry.
If someone at home has a plantar wart, it is important that they do not walk barefoot and extreme hygiene should be taken in areas that may step on such as showers and bathrooms. We must also be very careful if we have to manipulate the wart or any object that comes into contact with it, for example when it is cured.
Are children especially sensitive to this type of warts?
Yes, children can get plantar warts, on the one hand their defenses are more immature and also because they tend to go barefoot and have greater contact with each other. In fact, older children and teenagers are the favorites of the virus.
And when we already have them, what is the most common and most effective treatment?
In principle, plantar warts heal on their own, they can take time to disappear from a few months to a couple of years, for this reason It is only recommended to treat those that are painful. In general, the treatment consists of eliminating infected cells, those that are already damaged. It can be done with the help of acidic substances, such as salicylic acid or by cryotherapy (treatment of the injury with liquid nitrogen).
If the doctor recommends treating the lesion at home with an anti-wart, it is important follow the instructions to the letter and be very careful when applying the product since being acidic substances can damage healthy skin surrounding the wart, to avoid it, a little petroleum jelly can be applied around the lesion before treating it.In general they are needed Between 3 and 4 weeks to remove the wart, the bad news is that sometimes it can come back out. There is no 100% effective treatment to definitively end the wart, since it actually eliminates damaged cells, not the virus.
Well, we have known them much better thanks to Montse Roca but you see that it is not easy to throw them out of our life when plantar warts (also sometimes known as papillomas) have decided to stay patience and caution with your feet this summer!
Photos | iStockphoto
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