Warts are a common skin condition, often prompting questions about their contagiousness and potential spread to personal items like shoes. Many wonder if footwear needs to be discarded after a wart infection to prevent recurrence or transmission. Understanding how the virus spreads can help address this concern.
How Warts Spread
Warts are caused by various types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which primarily infects the top layer of skin. This contagious virus spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact or indirectly via contaminated surfaces. It typically enters the body through tiny cuts, scrapes, or other breaks in the skin.
HPV thrives in warm, moist environments, making public areas like showers, locker rooms, and swimming pools common sites for transmission. The virus can survive on surfaces in these places and potentially be picked up. A wart may become visible anywhere from two to six months after exposure.
Shoes and Warts: The Real Story
You do not need to throw away shoes after getting a wart. While HPV can survive on surfaces, including inside shoes, the risk of reinfection from your own footwear is low, especially with proper hygiene. HPV is resistant to heat and drying, and can survive on inanimate objects for days, though its exact survival time is not precisely known.
Cleaning and disinfecting shoes, particularly athletic shoes or those worn without socks, is beneficial. Allow shoes to air out and dry completely between wears, as HPV thrives in moist conditions. Antiseptic or antiviral sprays can eliminate lingering viral particles and reduce reinfection risk. UV shoe sanitizers can also kill germs in shoes, though they may not specifically prevent plantar warts.
Preventing Wart Recurrence and Spread
Preventing warts from returning or spreading involves consistent hygiene. Regularly wash and thoroughly dry your feet, especially between the toes, to create an unfavorable environment for HPV. Avoid picking or scratching warts, as this can spread the virus to other body parts or to others.
Covering existing warts with a bandage, especially in public areas like pools or gyms, helps contain the virus. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, socks, or nail clippers, as these can harbor the virus. Wearing flip-flops or shower shoes in public changing rooms, showers, and around pools is a preventative measure. Prompt treatment of existing warts can also reduce further spread.