Nicholas Campitelli, DPM | Akron Podiatrist | Foot and Ankle Surgeon

The Foot Doc Blog – Leading Blog on foot and ankle pain

Providing information on foot, toes, and ankle pain or deformities. Questions? Please ask them in the comments section below. Check out our Youtube and Instagram sites as well.
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Many people think the black tiny dots on a plantar wart are the “seeds” or viral particles present within the wart. They’re actually blood vessels within the wart. Plantar warts are extremely vascular and contain very tiny blood vessels or capillaries. The end of the capillaries extend to the surface of the wart and will “rupture” and cause micro bleeding which then dries resulting int he brownish or black looking dots on the wart. So, they are not “SEEDS” or “VIRAL” particles as you may have been told!!

Small capillaries seen within the plantar wart


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Plantar warts are viral and sometimes do respond to topical acid therapy if they’re superficial. In this example the patient had plantar warts for 2 years and failed acid therapy and excision was recommended. Excision is simple and performed in the office. If acid therapy fails, this is the simplest treatment method to get rid of plantar warts.


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Athletes foot infections are a fungal infections of the skin on the feet that causes severe itching and dry flaky skin to occur. There are two types of athletes foot infections. One that involves the skin on the entire sole of the foot, and the other which involves the web spaces between the toes. The condition occurs more commonly when the foot is exposed moist environments such as from sweating in your shoes or if your socks become wet from environmental conditions. Fungus tends to grow in warm, dark, and moist environments and our socks and shoes can often created this ideal situation.

Fungus infections of the foot will often present with dry, flaking, and itchy skin with small red pimples or pustules than can sometimes appear. It will occur in what is referred to as a moccasin like distribution involving the sole of the foot. As previously mentioned, the condition can sometimes only effect the skin between the toes where one will see what is described as white and macerated tissue in the web spaces. This can often by overlooked and not noticed as initially it is not symptomatic. It is frequently caused by not drying well between the toes after bathing or showering. If this type of athletes foot infection is left untreated it can lead to a secondary bacterial infection from bacteria entering the cracks in the skin. This can become a medical emergency if one develops cellulitis or skin infection from the bacteria and may require hospitalization.

It is important to treat athletes foot infections when they occur as to avoid leading to more serious chronic infections which are difficult to manage. Prevention is often the best treatment by controlling the warm, dark moist environments that lead to the infection. When the dry and itching skin is present, it is crucial to see a podiatrist to begin a prescription antifungal to fix the problem.


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Many people do not realize that skin cancer can occur on the foot. While it is rare, I do see it in my office. I do my best to educate my patients on what to look for, and explain that there is only one person who can tell if it is skin cancer – that person is a pathologist. You need to look at the cells under a microscope to determine if it is malignant, or cancerous.

Watch the video below to hear Dr. Campitelli discuss skin cancer on the foot:

 

There are four major things we look at to help determine if it needs biopsied. They are easily remembered by the acronym ABCD’s of skin cancer.

A – Asymmetry   

B – Border

C- Color

D – Diameter

Asymmetry – If you were to draw a line through the skin lesion, the sides should look the same.

Border – The borders should be regular and not jagged or irregular.

Color – The color should be regular and equal throughout

Diameter – The diameter or size of the lesion should be no larger than that of a pencil eraser.


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Suffering from a severely painful toenail that is constantly irritated with shoes and impossible to cut?  Surgical removal is most likely the best option.  Toenail deformities can be the result of trauma to the nail plate which can occur from dropping something on your toe, or simply through years of irritation of the nail plate on a shoe.  Nail fungus can also be the cause of a deformed toenail, so it is imperative to first have the nail tested for fungus before making any decisions to permanently remove the toenail.


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Skin cancer can arise anywhere on the body. In this particular example a patient presented to me at the University Hospitals Wound Center in The Streetsboro Health Center.  She had a lesion or wound on her leg that had been present for almost one year. Initially she felt that it was a blister although it would never completely heal. She was sent to me for evaluation and treatment for a non healing wound.


9318 ST RT 43, Streetsboro, OH

2660 West Market Street, Fairlawn, OH

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