NIC Nail Technician Written ExamNail Technology ProceduresHard
A client requests a pedicure, but the technician observes several small, dark, pinpoint specks that appear to be embedded in the callused areas of the client's heels and balls of the feet. These specks are painful when pressure is applied. What condition is the client most likely exhibiting?
- AAthlete's Foot (Tinea Pedis)
- BPlantar Warts (Verruca Plantaris)
- CCorns
- DFungal Nail Infection (Onychomycosis)
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Plantar Warts (Verruca Plantaris)
Plantar warts are often characterized by small, dark, pinpoint specks (thrombosed capillaries) within a callused area, and they are typically painful when direct pressure is applied, unlike corns or typical calluses. This is a contraindication for service.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Athlete's foot is a fungal infection causing itching, redness, scaling, and sometimes blisters, not embedded dark specks.
- C. Corns are hardened areas of skin, usually with a central core, but generally lack the pinpoint specks and specific type of pain of plantar warts.
- D. Fungal nail infections affect the nails, causing thickening and discoloration, not embedded specks on the skin.
Plantar Warts (Verruca Plantaris)
Benign skin growths on the soles of the feet, caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
- Often appear as small, rough, grainy growths, sometimes covered by callus.
- Characterized by tiny black or dark pinpoint dots (thrombosed capillaries) within the wart.
- Can be painful, especially when pressure is applied directly to them, and are highly contagious.
Memory trick: Dark specks, painful, on the sole? Plantar wart taking its toll!