Tips to Avoid Getting Warty Growths from Friends
Updated: Jul 30, 2020
Friends and teammates share a lot at school, from lunches and homework notes to sports equipment and even gossip. After all, as parents teach preschoolers, “sharing is caring.” That isn’t always true, however, even among friends. There are things you don’t want to share, including warts on your feet. Using a friend’s footwear if they have a warty growth, or walking barefoot in places like the locker room, can easily pass the bump-causing virus to you. Fortunately, it is possible to avoid getting warts, both at school and anywhere else you go.
Warts are caused by a virus—specifically a strand of the human papillomavirus, or HPV. This is highly contagious and passes easily from contaminated surfaces to the skin. The virus thrives in warm, damp environments, too, which is why it’s easy to pick up from other people’s feet, sports gear, or surfaces like locker room floors. Protecting your feet from contamination is the best way to prevent warty growths:
Avoid touching others’ warts – If someone else has warts on their feet, or even their hands, avoid touching the bumps with your bare skin.
Avoid sharing towels, shoes, or razors – Skin cells form the wart that carry the virus can get trapped in towels, shoes, and razor blades, so don’t share them.
Never walk barefoot – Pool decks, showers, and locker rooms are prime places for exposure to surfaces contaminated by the wart virus, so wear sandals or shower shoes instead of going barefoot.
Keep feet dry and clean – Wear clean socks and keep your feet dry to make your skin less hospitable to the virus.
Warts are unpleasant to deal with and hard to get rid of, but you can potentially avoid the problem altogether by preventing warty growths. Don’t wait for one to appear to take care of the skin on your feet. If you’re concerned that a bump on your foot might be a wart, let us at Gulf South Foot & Ankle, LLC know. We’ll help you address it right away. Use our website or call (504) 708-4810 to reach our Metairie, LA, office.