Have you had fish eyes on the soles of your feet or fingers? Surely you will notice discomfort when walking and touching the affected area, since although they are known by these popular names, in reality, they are plantar warts that can be more or less deep and that expand very easily.
As they are contagious, they spread quickly, annoy, and even hurt, and they are unsightly it is advisable to start treating them as soon as they appear, always with the help of a doctor or podiatrist. If you want to know why the fish eyes come out on the feet and how they are removed you have arrived at the right place, then then in we tell you everything.
What they are and why fish eyes come out on the feet
Plantar warts, or fish eyes as they are popularly known, are flat warts that usually look like a black dot or several together under the skin, growing inward and sideways, rather than outward like many other types of warts. This skin condition is very contagious and the lesions can easily spread to the entire sole of the foot, fingers, and even other parts of the body, such as the hands, legs, and arms.
But what causes fish eyes and why are there people who get a lot and others who don't? The cause of these warts is the human papillomavirus or HPV that comes into contact with the skin of the soles of the feet, which usually enters through small cracks and cuts or areas where the skin of the foot is thinner and more delicate, such as the one between the toes. This virus is very common, many people suffer from it without knowing it and, in addition, there are more than 100 strains or variants of HPV and not all produce fish eyes on the feet, just as not all produce genital warts.
Typically, the virus affects those who meet one or both of the following conditions, in addition to being exposed to HPV:
- Low defenses or weak immune system.
- Poor foot hygiene habits, such as sharing shoes, walking barefoot in public places, etc.
Next, we explain how to eliminate fish eyes on the feet and hands, since it is where they usually appear and can be treated in the same way.
How to Remove Heavy Eyes on Feet with Medication
Normally, the most effective and safe treatment for plantar warts to disappear in a short time is the use of specific medications and therapies. Specifically, these are the best drugs and therapies to remove fish eyes on the feet and hands:
Cryotherapy
When wondering how to remove a fish eye from your hand or foot, keep in mind that the treatment doctors usually recommend is cryotherapy or applying liquid nitrogen to the wart. Also known as freezing therapy, it consists precisely in that the effect of liquid nitrogen on the wart causes it to “die”, since blood stops reaching it when the tissue of the wart itself freezes and the tissue just around it.
After applying it, it is left to act for a while and then the podiatrist will remove the dead skin and remains of fish eyes with the help of a scalpel or other somewhat sharp sheet, such as scissors, always wearing gloves.
Trichloroacetic or bichloroacetic acid
This acid is widely used to remove plantar warts, but its application can only be done in medical centers, such as the consultations of podiatrists. The reason is that they are very caustic agents, which produce burns, so they can only be applied by a doctor and only in the specific area. After its application and action, the specialist will perform the cleaning, as we have mentioned before, to remove the fish eyes.
Salicylic acid
This other type of acid can be applied at home without problems, or the doctor can do it regularly. It is considered a very safe method, although slower than others, and removes the layers of skin in which it is applied and helps to remove the fish eye, in addition to stimulating the defenses. It is also necessary to scrape the dead skin to remove the remains and that the treatment can advance to eliminate the warts pro completely. The treatment usually lasts between 2 and 3 months.
Cauterization
It is a minor surgery performed by the doctor in the clinic, which can be done in the office since it does not require general anesthesia, in which the area around the wart is cauterized to extract it, eliminating it from the root.
Laser therapy
It is another minor intervention in which the specialist doctor limits the blood vessels that the fish eye has, so that it does not receive oxygen or nutrients, so that soon the wart dries out and can be eliminated very easily.
Immunological therapy
It is, on the one hand, to help the patient to increase their defenses so that their immune system can better fight against the virus and, on the other hand, in the application of substances that stimulate the action of the immune system on warts directly.
How to remove fish eyes on feet with folk remedies
To eliminate fish eyes on the feet, either on the fingers or on the soles, you can use several home and natural remedies, which are also applicable to flat and black warts that come out on the hands, because it is the same type as those on the feet. Take note of the best home remedies to remove plantar warts:
Garlic for plantar warts
Garlic is one of the most used foods as a natural remedy for its great antibiotic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Specifically for its antiviral and antiseptic capacity it is indicated to help in the treatment of fish eyes on the feet, in addition its antifungal and antibacterial power will help prevent opportunistic infections of fungi and bacteria that aggravate the problem.
Simply crush a clove of garlic and apply it directly on the warts, covering the area with gauze and tape, to let it act for at least an hour, before removing it and washing the area well. You can do it 2 times a day daily until they disappear.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is another well-known remedy, as this oil has great antibacterial, antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, antiseptic and analgesic capacity. You have to apply a few drops on each wart and cover the area with gauze and tape or a band-aid, letting it act for several hours, maximum 4 hours in a row. Remove the covering and clean the area, removing parts of dead skin if any. You can apply it maximum 2 times a day for the days that are necessary.
Lemon and vinegar
these two common ingredients in cooking also have antiseptic and antibacterial properties, so they are good for helping treat fish eyes on the feet and hands. However, their effectiveness alone in these cases is not very high so it is advisable to mix them with other remedies, such as garlic, or intersperse them with medical treatments. Apply a few drops on the affected skin, cover the area, leave it covered for a couple of hours and when removing it washes the skin well.
Adhesive tape
This home remedy may seem strange at first, but it is effective as a booster from other treatments, not on its own. It is about putting a piece of adhesive tape in the area of the wart, trying to make it well covered, and leave it on for several hours, then remove it carefully, scrape the remains of skin and wart, leave the area uncovered for a couple of hours and cover again with adhesive tape. It can be done at most 5 days a week and for 1 month or month and a half.
It can be used to cover any of the remedies mentioned above, as it will help to have a greater concentration of the effects of the remedies in this area of the foot by avoiding its ventilation for a while.
Aspirin
Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid and as we have seen in the previous section on medical treatments, salicylic acid acts by eliminating warts effectively. Although the treatment with aspirin will be slower than with the salicylic acid itself, because in this drug it is mixed with more components, it can be used to reduce the eyes of fish and eliminate the small ones.
It is recommended to dilute an aspirin tablet in half a finger of water, apply it to the affected areas, let it act for 30 minutes, remove with plenty of water and scrape the skin to remove dead cells and residues. It can be done 2 times a day as long as necessary.
All these home remedies are effective complemented by each other or as a complement to medical treatment with therapies of the above mentioned. In case of using any medical therapy, it is necessary to first consult with the doctor who applies it if any of these remedies can be used additionally in each particular case.
How to prevent fish eyes on the feet – the best tips
There are several aspects to take into account to prevent fish eyes on the feet, either for the first time or to prevent their reappearance. Here are some tips to prevent fishy eyes or warts from coming out on your feet:
- Avoid wearing inappropriate footwear, which does not fit well to your feet and / or makes them sweat a lot.
- Do not walk barefoot in public areas.
- Do not share socks or shoes.
- Wear pool flip-flops to shower or take a sauna in public places, such as bathrooms, pools, and gyms.
- Try to keep your feet always clean and well dry.
- Keep your immune system healthy and strong.
