Don’t take these small bumps on your feet lightly, they are plantar warts and are contagious!

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Many people find a bump on the bottom of their foot, search for images online, and find that it looks similar to a ‘corn’, so they treat it like a corn, for example, by using corn plasters or repeatedly visiting a foot care salon. In the end, not only is the problem not solved, but the skin damage also increases.

In fact, it is likely that plantar warts are mistaken for corns.Plantar warts are a type of viral infection, with a much higher incidence rate than corns and are easily contagious.

So, today we will briefly understand plantar warts and corns and learn to correctly deal with these common foot problems.

What is Plantar Wart?

Plantar warts, in simple terms, are common warts that grow on the soles of the feet. They are caused by skin-tropism types of the human papillomavirus(HPV1, 2, and 4 types) infection,the virus enters through minor cuts, breaks, or weak points on the soles, forming warts that are contagious and can occur anywhere on the soles.

Plantar warts may start as a small, inconspicuous papule, then gradually enlarge, with a rough surface that may be grayish-white or yellowish, and generally have a clear boundary.

If you look closely, you will see some black dots on them,these black dots are actually capillaries that have ruptured and bled, then clotted inside the toes,which is also a key point to distinguish from corns.

What is a Corn?

Corns are mainly caused by long-term friction and pressure on the feet, such as shoes that are too tight, incorrect walking posture, or some people with skeletal deformities of the feet.It has nothing to do with viruses and is not contagious itself.

The surface of a corn is usually smooth, with a color of yellowish or dark yellow, and the shape is a bit like a small cone, growing inward and piercing the flesh. If you scrape off the surface keratin, you can see a translucent hard core or plug in the center of the corn, which is similar to a chicken’s eye, hence the name corn.

How to Distinguish Between Plantar Warts and Corns?

Plantar warts, due to being caused by viral infections, are easily self-contagious due to the friction of walking on the soles of the feet every day, so plantar warts are usually more numerous, can be scattered or appear in clusters, and sometimes even merge into a patch.

The pain of plantar warts varies depending on the growth location, and plantar warts in pressure areas can also cause significant pain, but the pain is usually not as sharp and persistent as that of corns.

Corns are different; they usually appear singly and rarely exceed three.

The most typical characteristic is that when you step on it while walking or press it with your hand,
the pain will be very obvious, even excruciating. This is mainly because the sharp keratinous plug directly presses on the nerve endings under the skin.

Combined with the picture above(Left is a corn; right is a plantar wart), let’s summarize the differences between the two:

1. Plantar Wart

Viral, contagious, possibly numerous, rough surface may have black dots, not too painful when walking.

2. Corn

Caused by friction or pressure, not contagious, usually few in number, smooth surface, but very painful when walking.

How to Treat Plantar Warts and Corns?

Based on the introduction above, it can be known that treating plantar warts as corns and using corn plasters is useless.

Standard treatments for plantar warts include: topical salicylic acid, imiquimod, and cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen(usually requires multiple treatments, spaced 2-3 weeks apart), laser therapy, etc.

The advantages of salicylic acid include self-administration, painless application, and very low risk of serious side effects.Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen needs to be performed by a clinical doctor and is painful,therefore, it is mainly used for older children and adult patients and is often avoided for young children.

Corns are relatively easier to handle and can be treated with corn plasters, topical salicylic acid ointment, urea cream, and laser therapy.If the corn is particularly stubborn, surgical removal can be considered.