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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Signs and symptoms of plantar warts include:
- Small, fleshy, grainy bumps on the soles of your feet
- Hard, flat growths with a rough surface and well-defined boundaries
- Gray or brown lumps with one or more black pinpoints, which are actually small, clotted blood vessels, not "wart seeds"
- Bumps that interrupt the normal lines and ridges in the skin of your feet
- Pain or tenderness when walking
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if:
- The warts 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 a circulatory disorder. Don't try to treat any plantar warts at home. See your doctor for advice.
In some cases, you may need to consult your doctor to ensure a correct diagnosis. It's possible for more serious lesions to crop up on your feet, including cancerous tumors called carcinomas and melanomas. If you can't confidently identify your lump, see your doctor.
- Habif TP. Warts, herpes simplex and other viral infections. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/121280969-6/806516417/1195/75.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50014-5--cesec21_1286. Accessed Feb. 19, 2009.
- Lichon V, et al. Plantar warts: A focus on treatment modalities. Dermatology Nursing. 2007;19:372.
- Gibbs S, et al. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006:CD001781.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Cutaneous warts. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- Aldara. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/mar_PI/Aldara_PI.pdf. Accessed Feb. 23, 2009.
- Focht DR 3rd, et al. The efficacy of duct tape vs. cryotherapy in the treatment of verruca vulgaris (the common wart). Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2002;156:971.
- 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. 23, 2009.
