Answered by Anthony J. Mancini MD
"Every day offers a new surprise, and my job is never dull or boring," says pediatric dermatologist Anthony Mancini. "How could it be with all those kids?"
Anthony J. Mancini, MD, is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics andDermatology at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois, and an attending physician at the city's Children's Memorial Hospital. In addition to his active clinical practice, Dr Mancini continues to be involved in clinical research and has written for a number of prestigious medical journals and textbooks. Dr. Mancini has special interests in the treatment of skin disorders in infants and children, fetal skin development and skin problems of premature babies, and infectious skin diseases in children.
Dr Mancini trained in pediatrics, pediatric dermatology, and dermatology at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, where he was the chief resident in dermatology. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Dermatology, and an active member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology and the Chicago Dermatological Society.
Dr Mancini and his wife, a neonatal intensive care nurse, have two children.
Question
I have a baby who is 2 1/2 years old. For quite a few months I have noticed what looks like a wart on the underneath of his foot. It seems fairly deep. Should I try and use a wart remover? I've already tried a corn remover, and it removed some dead skin, but this looks like tiny holes, like a wart. Please advise. Also, does this hurt for him to walk on?
Answer
Warts are a very common viral infection in children. They can be passed from person to person or, especially in the case of warts on the bottoms of the feet, by contact with infected surfaces such as showers, baths or pool areas. And to dispel some popular myths: frogs play no role and warts do not have "roots"! They appear as rough bumps and often have tiny black dots visible on their surface. In 85 per cent of patients, warts go away on their own, but this may take years. Most treatments for warts are aimed at destruction of the skin cells containing the wart virus, since there are very few specific anti-virus medicines. Start with over-the-counter preparations (liquids or plasters) containing the ingredient salicylic acid. These are applied at bedtime, and in the case of small warts, may be all that is required. For bigger warts, or those that are spreading or are not responsive to these products, treatments are available from the doctor, but many of these treatments (like freezing the warts) are painful and traumatic for young children. If the wart does not appear to bother your son (and most of the time they don't), watching and waiting is a reasonable option given his young age.
