Verrucas And Corns - What's The Difference?
Feeling concerned or worried is normal if you notice something growing on your feet. Sometimes, even medical professionals can struggle to differentiate between a verruca and a corn. If you have something wrong with your feet, the best thing you can do is visit a qualified and HCPC-registered podiatrist like ourselves here at Feet & Motion. Corns and verrucas have a variety of different treatments, but misdiagnosis and incorrectly treating one as the other could quickly worsen the problem.
Let's take a look at the two, and discuss some of the differences and some of the best forms of treatment.
What is a verruca?
A verruca is a bacterial disease caused by the Human Papilloma Virus. Verrucas are very contagious and can be easily spread, they are usually transmitted through contact with an infected area, whether that be sharing a towel or being barefoot in public spaces like the pool, gym and changing rooms. When in these public areas, we advise that you try to wear flip-flops or socks, this will prevent any accidental contact with the infection.
If you suspect you have a verruca, there are a couple of things to look out for to identify it. The main tell that a lesion on your foot is a verruca is that it should have a small black dot in its centre; this is the blood capillary that has been made visible due to the verruca.
In the majority of cases, verrucas will not give you any serious pain; in some cases, however, they have been known to cause discomfort and pain while performing certain activities like exercising or standing for long periods of time.
As mentioned previously, the best thing that you can do is to avoid getting a verruca in the first place. The best ways to prevent verrucas are:
Ensure that you always wear something to cover your feet in public spaces
Don't share towels with anyone else
make sure you check and clean your feet regularly
Verrucas can be very stubborn to treat and have been known to take years to clear up. If you have a verruca, you should wear a verruca sock to prevent spreading it to others.
What is a corn?
As mentioned before, corns and verrucas are two very different things and require different forms of treatment and prevention methods. Corns are not contagious and are usually formed as a type of defence to protect your toe from excess friction, usually caused by ill-fitting shoes. Corns are most common on the knuckle of your little toe where your shoes could have been rubbing.
Corns usually appear as thickened and compacted patches of dead skin. Depending on how the corn has been formed, they could be a small bump or a large patch of dry and flakey dead skin.
Corns are very common and much more easily treated than verrucas. To treat a corn, a podiatrist will use a scalpel to cut away the dead patches of skin and then discuss with you to find out the cause of the corn. You should never try this at home as if done incorrectly, it could cause infection or further damage to your feet. As with verrucas, the best form of treatment for corns is the prevention of getting them in the first place.
If you feel you may be suffering from a verruca, a corn or any other foot-related problem, contact us today or book an appointment using our easy online booking system. We will be happy to give you the correct diagnosis and treatment.
*This blog contains general information about medical conditions and is not advice. You must not rely upon the information in this blog as medical advice. Medical advice should always be sought from an appropriately qualified podiatrist such as ourselves.