Plantar Warts

　　Modern medicine believes that the pathogenesis of plantar warts is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). It is transmitted through direct contact (also self-contact), and trauma and low or defective cell-mediated immunity are also important causes. Human papillomavirus can be directly inoculated and transmitted through minor skin breaks, so the skin lesions become more and more, and in addition to the daily stress on the feet and the friction of shoes, this can worsen the condition and make treatment more difficult.

　　Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the disease is often caused by disharmony of Qi and blood, loose skin texture, and recurrence of external pathogens, condensation in the skin, or due to anger-induced liver fire, excessive liver and dry blood, unvital tendons and vessels, leading to Qi and blood stasis. In addition, pressure and friction on the sole can cause skin rash.

　　If plantar warts begin to spread, it indicates that the body's immune function begins to decline. The immune function starts to drop from one to ten or even dozens, which will seriously affect the patient's appearance and beauty.

　　In addition, large areas of skin infected with plantar warts are prone to bleeding after contact or friction, leading to wound ulceration and infection.

　　Long-term research has also found that long-term presence of plantar warts can harm the patient's immune system, causing recurrent infections in the external wounds of plantar wart patients, which are difficult to heal. When the patient's immune system response mechanism is suppressed, the patient will lose the ability to defend against various external virus invasions, such as AIDS, viral hepatitis, allergic diseases, and other conditions will break out collectively.

　　1. The skin lesions are round papillary keratotic hyperplasia, surrounded by thickened keratin rings. After removing the superficial keratin layer, there is a loose keratin soft core underneath, visible small black spots formed by the rupture and extravasation of capillaries. If there are multiple keratin soft cores, they are called mosaic warts.

　　2. They commonly occur on the heel, metatarsal bones, or areas between the toes that are under pressure.

　　3. They may experience pain or have no symptoms at all.

　　Plantar warts are highly contagious and can be very harmful, so preventing their transmission is very necessary.

　　1. Considering that plantar warts are somewhat contagious, patients should avoid direct contact with others. It is recommended that family members and friends take necessary isolation measures with the patient.

　　2. Patients with plantar warts and those around them should also maintain personal and environmental hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus due to poor sanitation, which may worsen the condition.

　　3. To cut off the source of fungal infection, sterilize and disinfect daily items such as shoes, socks, and shoe cabinets; try to avoid walking barefoot in public baths, public swimming pools, or wearing shared slippers.

　　4. Strengthen physical exercise, pay attention to diet, focus on foot care, and ensure a healthy immune system and foot skin.

　　Plantar warts are prone to occur on the heel, metatarsal head, or intermetatarsal area under pressure. Occasionally, they can also occur on the palm, known as palm warts. Plantar warts are examined through skin rash. The damage to the heel, metatarsal head, or intermetatarsal area can merge into a keratinized patch-like rash. Characteristics: initially, it is a small, shiny papule, gradually increasing to the size of a green bean, slightly raised above the skin, with rough keratinization, gray or greenish, with clear boundaries, surrounded by a thickened keratin ring. If the superficial keratin is scraped off with a small knife, bleeding points can be seen on the surface. Sometimes, there may be a small amount of blood exuding from the wart surface, which coagulates into small black spots. Sometimes, the skin lesions can merge into a keratinized patch, also known as mosaic warts.

　　Differential diagnosis:

　　But it needs to be distinguished from corns and calluses.

　　Plantar warts often form a pale yellow callus keratin layer on the surface. In addition to medication and surgical treatment for plantar warts, dietary adjustment in daily life is also a good way to treat plantar warts.

　　1. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure sufficient vitamins, and keep the bowels smooth.

　　2. Strictly avoid刺激性 foods such as alcohol, chili, ginger, pepper, coffee, etc.

　　3. Avoid moldy, fried, and greasy foods.

　　4. You can eat Job's tears congee, which can remove dampness and reinforce Yang. Plantar warts themselves are caused by the accumulation of dampness in the human body, leading to weakened immunity, which causes infection or the proliferation of bacteria. Therefore, Job's tears congee can remove dampness from the root, thus achieving the effect of health care and treatment.

　　To prevent secondary infection of plantar warts, keratolytic agents such as 10% salicylic acid or compound salicylic acid adhesive can be used locally, followed by腐蚀剂 or under local anesthesia, a small knife can be used to peel off the wart body along the edge of the wart. For refractory plantar warts, 20% glutaraldehyde solution can be used externally, once a day, with a course of 12-24 weeks showing good effect. Other therapies such as liquid nitrogen freezing, laser, superficial X-ray radiation, and topical medications can also be used. The specific methods are as follows:

　　1. Apply corn-removing ointment or 5-Fu cream externally.

　　2. CO2 laser or liquid nitrogen freezing treatment.

　　3. Superficial X-ray radiotherapy or acupuncture treatment.

　　4. Laser therapy, most hospitals use this service, it belongs to physical therapy and is easy to relapse.