THE NEW YORK TIMES – All warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, which can live on various surfaces — especially communal ones like those in public pools, showers or gyms.
If you walk around barefoot with any sort of break in the skin and you’re exposed to the virus, a plantar wart could develop, said Jacqueline Prevete, a podiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Queens.
Standing or walking can put pressure on the wart, forcing it to grow inward, Dr. Daveluy said. Warts on other parts of the body, in contrast, grow outward, forming a bump.
Plantar warts can appear any time of year. But Saylee Tulpule, a podiatrist and spokeswoman for the American Podiatric Medical Association, said she sees “a huge influx of warts in the fall,” just after people have enjoyed barefoot summer activities — at pools or hotels, for example.
After a person is exposed to HPV, it can take several weeks or a few months to develop a plantar wart, Dr. Daveluy said.
Plantar warts are contagious. If you get one, it’s possible to develop “satellite lesions” from the virus spreading to nearby parts of your skin, Dr. Prevete said. They can also spread via skin-to-skin contact or from sharing shoes, Dr. Tulpule said.
Can you treat them at home?
Plantar warts can go away without treatment, but it could take years, Dr. Daveluy said. And because they can be painful or uncomfortable, and get bigger over time, people usually want to remove them, Dr. Tulpule said.
How can I prevent plantar warts?
The most effective strategy is to limit barefoot activities in public places, Dr. Tulpule said. Wear flip-flops in gym showers and around pool decks, and regularly moisturize your feet to prevent skin cracks, Dr. Daveluy said.
The HPV vaccine helps protect against strains of the virus that cause genital warts …
