High Risk

• Many women become infected with HPV in their teens to mid 20s. Condoms do not fully protect against this disease. Having many sex partners leads to high risk for this disease. In a study of female college students, about 60 percent were infected within their first four years in college. Most of the time, HPV has no signs or symptoms.
  
  

Different Types

• There are HPV types that you do not need to become concerned about that can be easily treated. However, there are types that can show symptoms and can lead to further complications such a cervical cancer. HPV type 2 is closely related and causes common warts at non-genital sites.
  
  

Warts

• Plantar warts are small lesions that appear on the hands and/or feet and look like cauliflower with tiny black centers. These warts are caused by HPV types 1, 2 and 4. They are not dangerous. The virus enters your body through a break in the skin and grows if kept moist enough. These warts can become very uncomfortable. Plantar warts can also affect the bottom of your feet making it painful to walk. These are not dangerous, but should be looked at by your primary care physician.
  
  

Prevention

• Plantar warts are spread by contact especially common in locker rooms, swimming pools or anywhere people walk barefoot. Humans do build immunity as they get older, so you are more likely to see this problem with young adults and even children. Avoiding direct contact with warts on other people and wearing shoes are the best ways to prevent this.
  
  

Treatment

• Once someone is infected with HPV Type 2, there is no way of being sure that the warts will not come back. There are many ways your doctor can get rid of the plantar. He can use topical treatment, which is a cream what is applied directly to the wart. Another way is using acid treatment, which simply burns them off. Also your doctor can freeze the wart off or remove the wart with a scalpel.