How do I prevent my child from getting warts?

According to the FDA, anywhere from 10-50% of children are affected by warts. Warts in children may go away on their own, but as a mother of 5, I know that I would rather treat and get rid of a condition rather than risk it affecting other family members.

Very often, they can be embarrassing or they may itch. In some cases, they may cause pain or spread to other parts of the body, or as I mentioned before, to other family members. On the foot, they appear as skin lesions that are often raised, with pinpoint black dots in the middle with a cauliflower type appearance. Often they are surrounded by thickened skin if it is on the bottom of the foot, and very often they hurt when compressed. The black spots are actually broken blood vessels. The wart may feel rough or grainy to the touch. It is important to instruct the child not to scratch or pick at the wart as this will likely cause it to spread or maybe even bleed.

As a parent, what can one do to prevent this from occurring?

Warts are actually a virus, and they love a damp, moist environment. If at all possible, prevent your child from going barefoot in places that my harbor this virus. Some common places where the virus thrives include locker rooms, swimming pools, showers, or gym floors. I always encourage deck shoes or swim shoes at all times, even when taking a shower in a gym locker area. Discourage sharing shoes as well as again the virus can live in shoes as well.

If you do suspect that your child may have a wart anywhere on the foot, if the lesion is getting larger, or is spreading, or is bleeding, it is best to get it checked out by a podiatrist. At Prairie Path Foot and Ankle Clinic, we can make sure that it is indeed a wart with a proper diagnosis, and we have a tried and true protocol to handle the condition with great success rates. Find us at elmhurstfootdoc.com. Even just a consultation with one of our doctors just to answer any questions you may have, including whether that thing on my child's foot is a wart or not - will put your mind at ease!