Foot Wart Treatment
If you have just discovered a wart on the sole of your foot, you may be frantically googling “podiatrist plantar wart removal near me.” With good reason, as they can be unsightly and anxiety-inducing; however, other than aesthetics, there isn’t a reason to rush out to the first doctor you can find to treat your warts.
Take your time and find an experienced foot specialist in your area, such as a podiatrist. It would be unfortunate to have a painful and scarring removal treatment that was ineffective for your type of foot lesion. Dr. Cameron is comfortable diagnosing various skin conditions relating to your feet and will recommend the least invasive and painful treatment option for your case.
What Are Foot Warts (Plantar Warts)?
Those warts that develop on the soles of your feet are actually called plantar warts. They are a noncancerous growth caused by a strain of the human papillomavirus (HPV). This common HPV strain is different than the ones the HPV immunization prevents and isn’t likely to cause warts on any other part of your body.
Plantar warts look like small patches of hardened skin and may have a black dot in the center. Because of where they are, you’re putting pressure on them with every step you take, so they grow inwards. They are typically harmless but can become unsightly, uncomfortable, and even painful.
If left too long, they can split open or rupture. If you look inside, you might see small, clotted-off blood vessels, sometimes called wart seeds. This name sprang up because of the warts’ contagious nature. However, they are not highly infectious, so simply coming into contact with these “wart seeds” will not automatically give you foot warts.
You are more likely to catch warts if you already have a history of them, have a weakened immune system, or frequently walk barefoot. You must then have breaks in the skin on your feet and come across a contaminated surface. Here are some prevention tips to reduce your risk of catching them.
Plantar Wart Prevention Tips
- Don’t Share
Plantar warts can spread through contaminated footwear. If you share shoes and socks, you are at risk. - Stay Clean
In addition to not sharing your footwear, you should regularly clean your shoes. Ensure you have adequately dried them before wearing them again. The extra moisture can promote bacteria and fungal growth on your feet, making them more susceptible to warts. For the same reason, you should wash your feet with warm, soapy water and dry them thoroughly. - Wear Shower Shoes
Obviously, not in your private shower unless you want to, but in public spaces. In locker rooms, showers, and pool decks, you should wear sandals or protective footwear to reduce your risk of direct contact with the virus. - Seek Wart Treatment
If you spot a wart brewing, seek treatment or wart removal immediately to reduce the risk of the wart spreading to other parts of your body or to someone else. - Take Care of Yourself
Keep your immune system strong by getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, exercising, and minimizing stress when possible.
Diagnosing Foot Warts
If you think you have plantar warts, consult your doctor to get an appropriate diagnosis. You don’t want to get it wrong and start a wart treatment on something that isn’t actually a wart. A podiatrist’s training allows them to identify whether the lesion on your foot is a wart or something else. If they cannot discern the kind of growth, they may remove a piece to analyze in a lab. Once diagnosed, you move on to plantar wart treatment.
Is There A Plantar Wart Cure?
Unfortunately, once you have the virus, warts can return to the same location or another again. However, wart treatments provided by a doctor (freezing, immunotherapy, etc.) can discourage future wart growth.
Will My Plant Warts Go Away on Their Own?
Seed warts, including plantar warts, can resolve on their own, but it may take a year or two. Your best option is to seek plantar wart treatment to ease symptoms and speed up the healing process. You should see a doctor if you are in pain, experience bleeding, or if it’s interfering with your daily routine.
Home Plantar Wart Treatments
- Wear Comfortable Footwear
If you want to see if the wart will resolve on its own, wear comfortable shoes to reduce pressure on the soles of your feet. This will stop encouraging the wart to grow inwards, making walking and standing more comfortable. Stay off your feet when possible to prevent pain from developing. - Purchase Over-The-Counter Topical Treatments
Salicylic acid is the common ingredient for over-the-counter plantar wart removal treatments. You put the medicine on top of the wart, and the acid breaks down the tissue layers. Eventually, it will fall off, but it can take several weeks or months. You can experience some discomfort and irritation during this process. - Try Duct Tape Wraps
This accessible household item acts similarly to salicylic acid, gradually removing layers of the wart. You need to cover your wart with duct tape like a bandage. Remove it after a few days, clean the area, and scrape away dead, peeling tissue. Place a new duct tape wrap and continue until the wart is gone.
If your wart doesn’t improve or respond to treatments, you should see a podiatrist, who can perform plantar wart removals immediately.
Podiatrist Plantar Wart Removals
Depending on the location and size of your lesions, podiatrists can use various techniques for removal. They can also combine some of these treatments in more stubborn cases. Here are a few of the methods they can use:
Laser Treatment
This involves destroying the wart tissue with an intense beam of light from a laser. If needed, local anesthesia can numb the area. While effective, it can cause scarring and be expensive if your insurance won’t cover it.
Cryotherapy
A more extreme form of freezing your wart off than with salicylic acid, doctors use liquid nitrogen to remove the infected tissue. After treatment, the wart will blister and eventually fall off. Again, it results in some scarring and may need multiple treatments to be entirely effective.
Medications
Doctors can use a topical medication such as cantharidin to allow blisters to form under the wart. After they apply it, you will return in about a week, so they can easily clip the dead wart away. Medications such as prescription-strength salicylic acid, tretinoin, and glycolic acid can peel the wart tissue away. They can also use small amounts of a chemotherapy drug, bleomycin, injected into the wart to remove it.
Excision or Surgery
Undertaken with local anesthesia, a doctor can remove the wart tissue with scissors or a scalpel, depending on whether it’s more external or internal. This option can be more effective but requires the most recovery time.
Electrosurgery
Doctors use an electric current to burn the wart tissue away instead of using a laser beam. This is another treatment that may need a local anesthetic as it causes minor discomfort or pain. It will also scar like the other wart removal methods.
Plantar warts can be difficult to treat, especially if you have an underlying immune system deficiency. Your doctor can advise you on immunotherapy to strengthen your immune system to fight this viral infection. Therapies can be topical, like diphencyprone, or injections, like interferon alfa. When in doubt, consult a podiatrist to help determine your best option.
Visit Foot and Ankle Center
Whether it’s your first plantar wart or you frequently suffer from them, you can spot the difference at Foot and Ankle Center. Dr. Cameron specializes in caring for and treating foot ailments, so he can quickly diagnose and treat your foot lesions. If you do have a plantar wart, he has the equipment on hand to remove it quickly and safely. If your plantar wart proves to be tricky, he can adjust his treatment plan to ensure the best possible outcome for you.
Lastly, Dr. Cameron and his staff want to give you the tools to prevent future foot issues, so they will take the time to go through prevention tips and warning signs. At Foot and Ankle Center, we put a high priority on educating our patients so that they are not stuck returning for unnecessary visits.