Help me identify what is growing on my feet!

August 5, 2009 6:46 AM

On my left feet, there are a couple of spots (~7 of them). These spots are about 5 mm in diameter, and they occur at the pressure points of my feet. They appear to be places where the epidermis is unusually thickened. What are they?

I tried cutting them off a couple of times, but they grow back. They aren't painful, they don't cause me any problems, and I think they are totally benign. Still, I'm quite curious. What are they, and why are they there?

Other information: My feet are really 'hard', which means I never ever get blisters, even when I am running on the ground barefoot, or playing basketball.

posted by moiraine to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Response by poster: Instead of "my left feet", I meant, "my left foot."
posted by moiraine at 6:48 AM on August 5, 2009

Sounds like they might be plantar warts. Do the spots look like this?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 6:52 AM on August 5, 2009

Are they verucas? (warning: has a surprisingly lot of example pictures.)
posted by like_neon at 6:55 AM on August 5, 2009

Don't follow Cat Pie Hurts's link if you don't want to see really gross pictures. I've had plantar warts in the past, and they've never reached such an advanced stage. Instead, moiraine, look very closely at each bump. If you can see a tiny indentation or divot in the center, they're likely to be plantar warts.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:00 AM on August 5, 2009

Small calluses? Do you wear one single pair of shoes way, way too much?

Try never wearing the same pair more than twice a week. Does that change or slow the recurrence?

(I got a neat row of tiny calluses from the rivets in a favorite pair of shoes once.)
posted by rokusan at 7:52 AM on August 5, 2009

Thirding plantar's warts. Mrs jq gets them occasionally. A dermatologist can remove them through a series of treatments (freezing and/or laser), or you can just ride them out. They'll apparently go away on their own, but this takes a long time.
posted by jquinby at 7:52 AM on August 5, 2009

Plantar's warts have their own blood supply sort of which makes them distinguishable from callouses which are just thickening skin. Plantar's warts are often flattish and seem to grow "in" to the skin and are usually brownish in color. I've never had any luck with them going away on their own but small ones can be gotten rid of with simple wart remover [or even duct tape] while larger ones are usually best frozen off at the doctor's.
posted by jessamyn at 8:02 AM on August 5, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks for the links (even the pictures)! This sounds stupid, but I never really *knew* what a wart looked like before. I'm thinking it might be normal warts though... because they have been there a while (a year?), painless and pretty small. They just look like white raised bumps.

rokusan: My shoe choices changes pretty frequently, so I don't think it's the shoes.
posted by moiraine at 9:32 AM on August 5, 2009

Nthing Plantar's warts. I had one on my heel and it just wouldn't go away on its own. If the over the counter stuff doesn't work (it didn't for me), the dermatologist can shave it off very quickly. It didn't hurt much afterwards (and not at all during removal), but it did take a LONG time to heal completely. If you leave them, they will eventually start to feel like you are standing on a thumb tack.
posted by midwestguy at 10:10 AM on August 5, 2009

Best answer: Based on your description that these spots are white, seem like places where the skin is unusually thick, occur at pressure points, are not painful, and can be cut off, along with the fact that your feet are rather resistant to blistering, I'd say they are calluses. I'm not a dermatologist, but if your description is accurate and the fingerprint-like lines in your skin continue across these spots they will look like every callus and unlike any wart that I have ever seen.
posted by waxboy at 11:46 AM on August 5, 2009

I had a plantar's wart and it does sound like this is what you have. But plantar's warts can grow large inside your foot and interfere quite painfully with the nerves in there- this is what happened to me. I suggest you see a doctor to make sure of what you have since they keep coming back.
posted by Piscean at 7:27 PM on August 5, 2009

Response by poster: They do look a lot like plantar warts, but yesterday, I tried cutting them off again (using a nail clipper). It doesn't hurt at all, and I am left with a lot of extra-thickened skin. So I'm thinking they are a surficial epidermis thing, and calluses fit the description very well. I will of course keep a lookout for any pain or any other indication of plantar warts growing. Thanks everyone!
posted by moiraine at 5:27 PM on August 9, 2009