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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Signs and symptoms of plantar warts include:
- Small, fleshy, grainy lesions, or growths, on the soles of your feet
- Hard, thickened skin (callus) over a well-defined "spot" on the skin, where a wart has grown inwards
- Black pinpoints, which are commonly called "wart seeds" but are actually small, clotted blood vessels
- Lesions that interrupt the normal lines and ridges in the skin of your feet
- Pain or tenderness when walking or standing
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if:
- The lesions are painful or change in appearance or color
- The warts persist, multiply or recur, despite home treatment
- The warts interfere with your activities
- You have diabetes or nerve damage (neuropathy) in your feet — in which case, you should not use at-home treatments
- You have a weakened immune system because of HIV/AIDS, immune-suppressing drugs or other immune system disorders
- You have any doubt that the lesion is a wart
In these cases, your doctor may prescribe a closely monitored treatment plan or consider a different diagnosis.
References
- Warts. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_warts.html. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Androphy E, et al. Warts. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2958209. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
- Warts, herpes simplex, and other viral infections. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, U.K.; New York, N.Y.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..X0001-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
- Your guide to diabetes: Type 1 and type 2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/YourGuide2Diabetes.pdf. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Cutaneous warts. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Gibbs S, et al. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006:CD001781. http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Aldara (prescribing information). Loughborough, U.K.: 3M Health Care Limited; 2010. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2010/020723s022lbl.pdf. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
- Podophyllum. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed March 2, 2011.
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