Foot Health Skin Problems Photos of Plantar Warts on Feet By Terence Vanderheiden, DPM Terence Vanderheiden, DPM, is a podiatrist in Massachusetts with a subspecialty in the area of podiatric sports medicine. Learn about our editorial process Terence Vanderheiden, DPM Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Lyle T. Modlin, DPM on November 19, 2019 Lyle T. Modlin, DPM, in board-certified in podiatry. He practices at Annapolis Foot and Ankle in Annapolis, Maryland. Learn about our Medical Review Board Lyle T. Modlin, DPM on November 19, 2019 Print Knowing what plantar warts look like can help you figure out what to do next for a painful spot on the bottom of your foot. It could be the common foot wart, also called plantar verruca. While you may benefit from getting checked out by a doctor, these photos and explanations may help you get a better sense of whether it is likely to be a plantar wart. Plantar Warts on the Foot Tim Oram / Getty Images While warts on your hands and other parts of your body can have a wide variation in how they look, plantar warts on your feet have a more consistent appearance. They are usually round and you can mistake them for a corn or callus. Plantar warts are usually flat rather than raised because they are covered by the top layer of the tough skin of the sole of your foot. But they might also have a rough, grainy surface texture. The little black dots near the center of the wart are the blood supply to the wart. Warts can occur singly or you may have them in clusters. They can stay small or you can get a giant plantar wart. Often, they appear on the heel or ball of your foot where you place your weight when standing or walking. Warts vs. Calluses Alina555 / Getty Images Warts on your feet can often look like calluses, which are thickened areas of skin. But warts have a few distinguishing features that calluses do not. Wart Interrupts the skin lines Small black "seed" dot (capillary blood supply) Painful when squeezed side to side Callus Skin lines continue through the hard, dead skin No dots, no blood supply Painful when pushed on directly If your wart is well-defined, interrupts the natural skin lines, and you can see a black dot, that will help you determine it isn't just a callus. Multiple Warts on the Foot Marionette / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which infects the epidermis (the upper layer of skin). Multiple warts can develop on the sole of your foot once it is infected. Multiple warts can appear as distinct warts in different spots, or they can be grouped together in a cluster, which is called a mosaic wart. A large cluster of warts can be very painful and make it uncomfortable to walk or run. It's also more difficult to treat a larger cluster to eliminate them. When to See the Doctor Plantar warts can go away on their own without treatment, or you might use an over-the-counter treatment for them found in the drugstore. These treatments use salicylic acid to remove the layers of the wart slowly. Most people don't see a doctor for treatment until after these self-care tactics have failed. You should see your doctor if the wart changes appearance or color, if it is bleeding, or if you have multiple warts. If you have diabetes, poor sensation in your feet, or a weakened immune system, you should also have the wart seen by a doctor. Treatment Your doctor may use a stronger preparation of salicylic acid or use cryotherapy, applying liquid nitrogen to the wart to freeze it off. There are further methods that can be used, including immune therapy, minor surgery, and laser treatment. Another interesting treatment is with HPV vaccine, even though the particular type of HPV that causes plantar warts is not targeted by the vaccine. A Word From Verywell If you aren't sure whether the foot lesion is a plantar wart, it is wise to see your doctor. This common problem can be treated and you'll be on the road to less pain when walking or standing. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Al Aboud AM, Nigam PK. Wart (plantar, verruca vulgaris, verrucae). StatPearls. Updated September 27, 2019. Witchey DJ, Witchey NB, Roth-Kauffman MM, Kauffman MK. Plantar Warts: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Management. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2018;118(2):92–105. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2018.024 InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Warts: Overview. [Updated 2019 Nov 7]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279586/ American Academy of Dermatology. Warts: Diagnosis and treatment. aad.org American Academy of Dermatology. Warts: Tips for managing. aad.org Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human papilloma virus (HPV). Vaccinating boys and girls. Updated August 15, 2019. cdc.gov Additional Reading American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Plantar wart (verruca plantaris). MedlinePlus. Warts.