Papilloma on the heel of a child: what to do and how to treat?



Papilloma on the heel

The content of the article:
  1. Reasons for appearance
  2. What does papilloma on the heel look like in children?
  3. Treatment methods
    1. Medicines
    2. Removal of papillomas on a child’s heel
    3. Folk recipes
  4. Prevention

A papilloma on a child’s heel is a type of formation that, although it can be reduced on its own, causes a lot of inconvenience during the process of growth and will most likely require removal. After all, the slightest growths on the heel cause a lot of discomfort and sometimes cause pain. When a child’s leg hurts, parents do not have time to restore the child’s immune system so that the body can independently fight the disease. The entire time that papilloma on a child’s heel is being treated, the baby cannot run normally, and sometimes even walk, and therefore cannot develop. To shorten the period of discomfort for the child, parents should consult a doctor at the first signs of illness and begin treatment.

Causes of papillomas on the heel of a child



HPV 3d model

The human papillomavirus in a child’s body can remain latent for a long period, without leading to skin formations. But in the active phase, the virus will manifest itself on the heel in 10% of cases. A peculiarity of papilloma on the heel in children is its development in the epidermal layer, its deep location, and, consequently, difficulty in diagnosis and treatment.

The most common reason for the activation of the virus is non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, the child walks for a long time in wet shoes, neglects to wash the feet when they sweat excessively.

However, there are other factors that influence the growth of papilloma on a child’s heel:

  1. skin damage and cracks on the heel;
  2. excessive sweating or dry feet;
  3. shoes that are not the right size;
  4. flat feet in a child.

An important role in the growth of education is played by a decrease in the child’s immunity, caused by both infectious diseases and seasonal vitamin deficiencies. Any deterioration in the baby’s health should be a cause for concern for parents, not only as an independent phenomenon, but also as a possible provocateur of other diseases.

  1. See also the causes of papillomas on the feet of children

What does papilloma on the heel look like in children?



Papillomas on the heel in children

Photos of papillomas on the heels of children

Various types of papillomas appear on children’s feet: regular, flat, plantar. It is on the heel that ordinary (vulgar) formations most often form, but small flat papillomas can also appear.

Ordinary papillomas on the heel of a child are predominantly large in size, have a rough surface, and slightly rise above the heel. At the initial stage of its development, the formation resembles a slight skin compaction, the color does not differ from other areas of the skin. Parents may not detect the structure in time, since the skin on the heel is constantly subject to mechanical stress and has a stratum corneum. Many people confuse this formation with a callus.

Due to the fact that keratinized layers are already present on the foot, even in a child, papilloma on the heel in children develops not only outward, but also deep into the epidermal tissues. In the upper layers there are only individual outgrowths of the formation.

In dermatology, there are several symptoms of heel papillomas:

  1. compaction of the epidermal layer;
  2. thickening of the stratum corneum;
  3. surface roughness;
  4. a small depression in the center of the formed structure;
  5. black dots inside the formation (these are blood clots of capillaries penetrating the papilloma, so the color of the dots may be lighter, and their number and size are individual);
  6. itching appears at the site of formation, and pain occurs when walking and running; in advanced conditions, pain is possible, even when the child simply leans on his leg.
Note! With the growth of papilloma on the heel of a child, photos of the formation can be compared with images in dermatological textbooks; the appearance of the structure is the same for everyone. However, you should not engage in self-diagnosis, because only an experienced dermatologist will be able to determine the strain of the virus and prescribe a treatment that is safe for the child, but effective.

A doctor can easily diagnose a papilloma on a child’s heel during a visual examination, but prescribing the correct treatment will require additional examination - a tissue scraping is taken for analysis, an examination is performed using a dermatoscope (microscope with tenfold magnification), and for deep layers of papilloma, an ultrasound is performed.

Treatment methods for papillomas on the heel in children

Based on the results of the examination, treatment with ointments, solutions, instrumental procedures or traditional methods is prescribed. In children, education can even go away on its own. Therefore, in modern medical practice, there are two approaches to treatment. The first involves systematic monitoring of papilloma on a child’s heel, photographic recording of the formation, and support of the young patient’s immune system, which can independently overcome the virus. The second approach requires immediate removal of tumors, since it is believed that papillomas can become a source of self-infection. The doctor decides which approach is appropriate in each specific case based on the clinical picture.

Medications for papillomas on the heel of a child



Preparations for papillomas on the heel of a child

The photo shows medications for papillomas on the heel in children

Ointments, creams and solutions for papillomas are easy to purchase in pharmacies in Ukraine and Russia. Their purchase does not require a prescription or additional permissions. But many modern drugs used to treat adults, for example, Aldara ointment and Ferezol, are contraindicated for children. In order to choose a remedy that is safe for the child, but effective in the fight against papillomas on the heel in children, you need to consult a doctor.

The following medications may be recommended:

  1. lapis pencil, which contains silver nitrate. For the product to start working, you need to moisten it in water. The composition should be applied to the formation 2 times a day until the papilloma completely dies off. The price in Russia for a pencil is 125 rubles, in Ukraine the drug will cost a little more - 139 hryvnia.
  2. Salicylic patch cut to the size of the growth and glued to it. Every other day, you need to steam the heel, remove dead layers and repeat the procedure. The cost of the patch is low - 18 Ukrainian hryvnia, 74 Russian rubles.
  3. Oksolin - the ointment is applied to the affected area twice a day. The procedure is repeated until the papilloma on the child’s heel is completely destroyed. The cost of the drug is small - for 10 g in Ukraine you will have to pay 8 hryvnia, and in Russia 51 - ruble.
A child’s skin, even on the heel, is much more delicate than the skin of an adult, so you should carefully read the instructions before using any of the drugs. Allergy testing is also recommended. To do this, apply a drop of the product to the back of your hand or the crook of your elbow. If the baby’s skin does not show a reaction within an hour, you can begin systematic use of the drug.
  1. Read also: how to properly treat a wart on a child’s heel

Removal of papillomas on a child’s heel



Removal of papillomas on a child’s heel

There are a number of signs when a papilloma on a child’s heel must be removed:

  1. the growth has changed shape and color, increased in size;
  2. the number of papillomas on the heel has increased;
  3. education causes pain and discomfort.

Specialized clinics provide the possibility of hardware removal of papillomas on a child’s heel in several ways:

  1. Cryodestruction - the most popular method for the destruction of heel formations. Liquid nitrogen allows you to remove the structure from the roots, while papilloma on the heel in children goes away without a trace in several procedures. The cost of cryodestruction is low - from 150 hryvnia (360 rubles) per procedure.
  2. Laser method allows not only to quickly and accurately remove the formation, but also to examine the removed tissue. The procedure is relatively painless, leaves no traces, and the likelihood of relapse is extremely low. The price for laser papilloma removal starts at 1,300 Ukrainian hryvnia (2,900 Russian rubles), but every year the method becomes more affordable.
  3. Radiovolon method allows you not only to remove papilloma on the heel in children, but also to immediately cauterize the site of destruction, avoid bleeding, prevent the spread of the virus throughout the body and the reappearance of papillomas in this location. The cost of the procedure starts from 1300 hryvnia, the more education, the higher the price for the procedure. The cost for such an operation in Russia starts from 3,000 rubles.
  4. Electrocoagulation — removal of growth using electric current. The method is only suitable for small formations at the initial stage, since large structures on the heel with a rather dense formation are difficult to remove using this method. The cost of the procedure is small - from 250 hryvnia in Ukraine, 590 rubles in Russia.

Surgical intervention, that is, removal of a neoplasm with a scalpel, today is carried out extremely rarely, only with particularly large sizes of the structure. The method has a number of disadvantages: the need to administer local anesthesia to the child, a long recovery period, scars. The cost of the operation is calculated individually in each individual case.

Note! If a papilloma on a child’s heel is removed, this does not mean that the virus has been completely overcome. Unfortunately, the pathogen will remain in the body forever. To prevent it from appearing again, it is necessary to monitor the general condition of the child.

Traditional recipes against papilloma on the heel of a child



Garlic cloves against papillomas on a child’s heel

In the early stages of papilloma development, you can try to treat using traditional medicine recipes:

  1. Fresh celandine juice it is necessary to smear it on the papilloma on the child’s heel in the morning and evening; for use in the autumn-winter period, you can prepare infusions from the stems of celandine.
  2. A fresh cut must be applied to the pre-steamed growth. clove of garlic, secure the compress with a band-aid and leave for 12 hours. Every 12 hours you should change the clove of garlic. The procedure is repeated for 3-4 weeks until the tumor completely disappears.
  3. Drop on half an onion vinegar essence and apply to the formation overnight.

When using folk recipes, one should also not forget that a child’s skin is much more sensitive than that of an adult, so aggressive substances should only be used on destructive formations. At the same time, natural components can also cause allergies, so before use you should test the composition, and it is best to consult a doctor.

Important! If traditional medicine methods did not help within the specified time frame, the papilloma on the child’s heel began to grow during the treatment period, it is necessary to urgently stop the procedures and consult a doctor.

Prevention of papillomas on the heel in children



Child at a doctor's appointment

An adult can independently monitor his own health and prevent diseases. As for the child, this responsibility falls entirely on the shoulders of the parents, because papilloma on the heel in children at the initial stages of its development may be invisible to the baby.

To prevent the development of the disease, parents should:

  1. monitor the baby’s health, maintain immunity, treat infectious and inflammatory diseases in a timely manner;
  2. monitor the dryness and cleanliness of children's shoes, which must be properly selected;
  3. after training or visiting the pool, disinfect your child’s feet, since there is a high probability of infection in such warm, damp public areas;
  4. treat cracks and bruises on the legs;
  5. If lumps appear on the heel, consult a doctor.

Read also about the prevention of human papillomavirus infection in adults and children.

Watch a video about warts in children:

A papilloma on a child’s heel should be a reason for a more attentive attitude to the baby’s health. In most cases, such formation does not interfere with the normal development of the child, but indicates a violation of the protective functions of the body. Such neoplasms can even go away on their own, but if this does not happen, they are easily removed by modern medical means and traditional traditional medicine.

  1. Related article: Which doctor treats warts on the feet