MOSAIC WARTS SKIN

When deciding whether to treat plantar warts or not, the following should be considered: Most verrucas will clear with time and can be left untreated if not causing problems.

If you have an illness that affects your immunity or are taking immunosuppressant medication, treatment can be less successful. The best chance of cure is in young people who have not had their warts for very long. There is no guaranteed cure, but some treatments can help to clear warts. No other investigations are usually needed. Your doctor may need to pare the area down to find the black dots that confirm the diagnosis of a viral wart. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell a plantar wart from a corn. The diagnosis is usually based on the clinical appearance. The term ‘mosaic wart’ is used for tightly packed clusters of small plantar warts that resemble a mosaic. An individual may have one or many warts and can also have them elsewhere on the body. Close inspection with a magnifying glass may reveal small black dots which represent clotted small blood vessels.

MOSAIC WARTS SKIN

They may have a rough surface that protrudes from the skin surface. They vary in size from just a few millimetres to more than one centimetre. Plantar warts can occur anywhere on the soles and toes, and often affect the weight-bearing areas. This is in comparison with myrmecial warts, which tend to stick out from the skin surface and are generally more painful. ‘Mosaic’ warts (see below) are usually painless. Some plantar warts can be uncomfortable, particularly if they are present on a weight-bearing area. In most cases, plantar warts cause no symptoms. They can also be spread by autoinoculation, which happens when the warts are transferred to surrounding skin through scratching and rubbing. Plantar warts can be caught by direct contact with infected skin scales – for example from the floors of public changing rooms, shower cubicles and the areas around swimming pools. Infection makes the skin over-grow and thicken, leading to a benign (non-cancerous) skin growth (wart). There are over 150 strains of this virus, and plantar warts are usually due to just a few of these strains. Warts are caused by infection in the outer layer of the skin (epidermis) with a virus called the ‘human papilloma virus’ (HPV). Warts are localised thickenings of the skin, and the term ‘plantar warts’ is used for those that occur on the soles of the feet (the ‘plantar’ surface). It tells you what they are, what causes them, what can be done about them, and where you can find out more about them. This leaflet has been written to help you understand more about plantar warts.

Mosaic warts