Plantar warts and corns look very similar and occur on the same parts of the foot. Although they look alike, however, they are completely different. And although warts sometimes grow on the feet, they can appear on all other areas of the body as well, while corns are only found on the feet.
Warts
All warts are caused by viruses called
human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and all are infectious. HPVs can lurk on surfaces, clothing, towels and skin (your own or someone else’s). Direct contact with any of these can infect your skin if it is scratched or broken in any way. The virus grows inward and penetrates deeply, causing thickening and damage to the skin. Warts look different depending upon what part of your body they affect and which type of HPV is involved.
Some common types of warts include:
Plantar Warts. "Plantar" is the medical term for the sole of your foot, and that’s where these flat-surfaced warts grow. They usually start on the weight-bearing foot areas like the ball, heel, and bottom of the big toe. Often transmitted to others on surfaces at public swimming pools and showers, they have nothing to do with "planting" crops in bare feet like many people think. Another myth is that the black spots deep inside plantar warts are "roots" or "seeds;" they are actually just dried up capillary blood vessels.
Common Warts. These can appear on any part of the body. Often, the hands are affected. These hard round or oval raised warts have a rough, cauliflower-like surface and are often found in groups.
Flat Warts (verruca plana). Most often occurring in small children, these soft warts are slightly darker than the surrounding flesh and look like tiny mesas on the skin, hence the name flat warts.
Corns
Corns only occur on the feet, usually where a prominent bone presses against the inside of your shoe (tops of toes, pressure points of the sole) and between the toes where toes put pressure on each other. The pressure causes your skin to thicken. Corns are like calluses that penetrate deep into the flesh instead of spreading out on the surface of the skin. Once formed, they are cone-shaped with the point facing inward. That presses on the nerves deep in your skin and is like having a pebble in your shoe all the time. They aren’t contagious like warts; only constant pressure on the skin can create them.
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Warts
Wart viruses are everywhere. Avoiding any contact that might expose you to HPV would mean total isolation. Thus, most authorities recommend the reasonable precautions below to minimize contact with potential carriers or contaminated objects. If you currently have warts, follow these measures to reduce the spread of the virus to other parts of your own body and to others.
Corns
Since corns are the skin's response to pressure, relieving pressure on high-risk areas of your feet stops corns from forming (or recurring). Some people have underlying growths or enlargements of their foot bones that create pressure points, but for most, this is a footwear problem. Poor-fitting shoes commonly squeeze the toes together (especially women’s shoes), thus the tops and sides of the toes are the most common sites for corns.
Footwear Tips To Prevent Corns
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Warts and corns can be treated similarly. You want to remove thickened, diseased skin without damaging surrounding healthy tissue. Salicylic acid is the most common medicine available over the counter that is considered safe and effective for removing warts and corns. It comes in different strengths and forms, but the best products are the pad or disc type and the flexible collodion (a liquid that dries to a long-acting film). Both allow the salicylic acid to act longer and penetrate deeper (See Recommended Products section for details).
Below are some tips for getting the best results with salicylic acid treatment.
There are certain types of warts that should never be self-treated:
If self-treatment of common warts is ineffective after four weeks or plantar wart treatment is ineffective after 12 weeks, a physician should be consulted. Corns need only be evaluated by a physician if they are particularly persistent and very painful. Custom orthotic inserts may be appropriate and can be ordered by a physician.
Those with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease or disorders of the immune system (such as long term steroid users, those taking other immunosuppressive drugs or people with HIV or AIDS) should never self-treat warts because of the risk of secondary infection. Of course, if during treatment any sign of infection (such as redness, swelling, tenderness or pus) occurs, consult a physician immediately.