Plantar warts are thick, endophytic, hyperkeratotic lesions caused by
human papilloma virus, Because they are frequently mistaken for callus
es, they are often misdiagnosed in athletes, The diagnosis of a planta
r wart is made by paring down the hypertrophic epithelium until multip
le ''seeds'' are detected in the dermis representing the thrombosed ve
ssels supplying the wart, A patch system containing 40% salicylic acid
in the rubber-based vehicle is applied to the debrided site every 48
hours until healing occurs. (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company