Calluses can often be confused with plantar warts. Both lesions are benign, on the bottom of the foot and occasionally painful. So how do we tell difference?
• Dense, hard skin, uniform in color and thickness
• Caused be friction due to tight shoes or faulty biomechanics.
• Do not spread and are not contagious
• Occur in weight-bearing areas, generally the ball of the foot or heel
• Have thick dead skin with diffuse border
• More often in patients over the age of 30
• Self-treatment options: wider shoes, pumice stone, moisturizing
• Thick dense skin, with a white border and sometimes black dots
• Due to an infection by the Human Papillomavirus.
• Can spread on the foot and to other people
• Can occur anywhere on the bottom of the foot and toes
• Thick skin with discreet border • Any age group, more often in children, teens and young adults.
• Self-treatment options: topical acids and cryotherapy When to seek professional help.
• Home treatments have been unsuccessful
• The lesion has been present for over 3 months.
• Moderate pain and discomfort.
• The lesions are spreading or changing in color.
We now offer advanced laser therapy for warts. If you have any foot-related pain or discomfort, please call Michele Kurlanski, DPM at Lighthouse Foot and Ankle Center. Dr. Kurlanski offers expert and professional podiatry services in Cumberland County, Maine. Please call us today at 207-774-0028 to schedule your appointment in our Scarborough office.
