What to Know About Warts and Virus

Out of the many different types of issues your feet and ankles can develop, there’s one type that has a pretty interesting and unique background. At Valley Stream Podiatry we’ve seen it all!

Many common feet and ankle issues, like athlete’s foot or calluses, are due to some external factor causing the condition to develop:

  • Athlete’s foot - for those who have developed athlete’s foot, it means that their feet have come in contact with a contagious fungus that infects their skin. This fungus is most often found in warm, moist environments.

  • Calluses - an area of your foot that has developed a callus is likely an area that has dealt with a lot of friction, like tight shoes, or over-use. Calluses form as a defense mechanism to toughen the skin from repeated impact.

Compared to these examples, there’s a type of foot problem that is caused something internal - a virus!

It’s called the human papillomavirus, or HPV. This virus can be transmitted similarly to the way the fungus of athlete’s foot is transmitted - via our bare skin especially when our feet have small cuts, abrasions, or scrapes on them, which allows the virus to easily enter into our bloodstream. The virus also thrives in warm and moist environments, like locker rooms or bathhouses. It also shares similarities to calluses due to the way warts caused by HPV develop on the skin of our feet. Thick, hardened spots are most common and often have little black dots strewn about the hardened areas. The wart itself is painful to walk on and can cause your foot to feel painful overall.

Since warts caused by HPV and athlete’s foot are contracted in similar ways, and because warts have similar symptoms as other foot problems, it’s important to reach out to our expert Podiatrists, Dr. Andrew Shapiro, Dr. Michael Barkin and Dr. Sajni Shah when you notice any physical changes or pain.

Call us today at (516) 825-3860 to book on-line your next appointment at our state-of-the-art podiatry office: Valley Stream Podiatry 66 West Merrick Road,Valley Stream, NY 11580 .

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