Warts and Your Feet

Warts and Your Feet

Encountering a skin growth on your foot can be more than an unsightly annoyance. They can sometimes hurt and be made worse without proper care.

It's not always easy to tell if what you are dealing with is a wart or something else, but your Alexandria, and Sterling, VA, foot doctors can help you identify your problem and treat it. To learn more please contact Dr. Richard Lee and Dr. Steven Lin of Alexandria Family Podiatry.

A Wart, a Callus, or a Corn?

They all look very similar if you're unfamiliar with them, but both calluses and corns develop as a result of friction and pressure on your feet. They create rough patches of skin and corns especially can be very painful. The first step to alleviating these is modifying your footwear with custom orthotics. Although intervention by your doctor may be necessary.

A wart, however, although similar in appearance to a corn at first glance, is generally smaller and can be found in areas of the foot not exposed to constant friction. They can actually present themselves in any part of the body.

They appear because of exposure to the human papillomavirus (HPV) which can enter the skin through small cuts.

Wart Treatment in Alexandria, and Sterling, VA

Warts are typically benign and can go away on their own, but it can take months or over a year to be rid of them. Aesthetic concerns alone are a good reason to want them gone, but if they are found on the soles of your feet they can also be quite painful. These are often referred to as plantar warts.

Over-the-counter and home treatments have proven useful for some, but if you've already tried them or wish for an expert opinion before attempting them, then come in for a visit.

This is especially important if you suffer from diabetes, in which case you should not treat any foot problem on your own without first consulting with your doctor.

To make an appointment with our experts, Dr. Lee and Dr. Lin of Alexandria Family Podiatry in Alexandria, and Sterling, VA, dial (703) 823-2357 today.