Today, I'll be talking about 5 major differences between a wart and a corn and how you can tell the difference.
Difference number 1 - one is caused by a virus, the other is a result of pressure and friction
A wart is caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV for short. HPV thrives in warm, moist environments, such as locker room floors and around swimming pools. The virus is transmitted by direct contact and may be picked up easily if you have an opening or crack in your skin.
Corns, on the other hand, are not caused by a virus but by constant localised pressure and friction to a particular area, usually a bony prominence — and the majority of the time, it's from ill-fitting shoes.
Difference number 2 - one can develop anywhere on the body; the other is localised to the foot.
A wart, being a virus, can develop anywhere on the body. Corns, being a result of pressure and friction, are generally found over bony prominences — under the balls of your feet, bunions, tips of your toes, anywhere on your feet that could rub against your shoe or the ground.
Difference number 3 - skin lines run through a corn and around a wart.
If you look carefully at your skin, you can see these skin lines. They will run around a wart, but through a corn.
Difference number 4 - A wart hurts more when you squeeze the lesion; corns hurt more when direct pressure is applied.
There is generally more pain when you apply direct pressure to a corn. If you have a wart, squeezing the lesion causes more discomfort than direct pressure.
Difference number 5 - corns have a core, whereas warts have tiny blood vessels.
If you take the top layer of skin off a wart, you will see small black dots — tiny blood vessels that supply the wart. If you take the top layer off a corn, you will see a single dark centre: the core or nucleus.
So how is it managed?
Management of a corn includes physically debriding the dead skin and enucleating the corn, then addressing the reason for the pressure — usually footwear. If it's due to a structural deformity like a hammer toe or bunion, surgical correction may be considered.
Management of warts depends on severity. Minor warts can be treated with topical treatments from a chemist. Deeper or older warts may need treatment from your GP or podiatrist with liquid nitrogen or salicylic acid.
To help manage corns and pressure-related lesions at home, explore our range of corn and callus products, including padding and cushioning to reduce pressure on painful areas.