Plantar Warts

Plantar warts can be very difficult to get rid of. They are also known as Verruca. Warts are a viral infection of the skin. Like many viruses they can survive for a long time on the host. Many will run their course, but it can sometimes take years and may become severe or multiply during that time. Resist digging or trying to cut away at the wart as that may help it spread. Carefully debriding some of the callus that develops over the wart may be helpful when applying topical treatments but only trim away the callus. Warts can be identified through examination. They will often have pinpoint bleeding or small dark spots. People often think theses are seeds, but they are not. They are small capillaries that develop as part of the wart and provide a blood supply to the wart. Warts will often cause skin line disruption. What that means is the skin lines will stop or look like they are going around the wart. The skin lines will not usually go through the wart. If you can see skin lines going through the lesson, then it is likely not a wart and is a callus. Also, warts are often more painful with squeezing than with direct pressure.

Treatment:

1) Patience. It can take some time to get rid of warts.

2) Topical acid treatments. Acid treatments slowly eat away at the wart. This must be done for some time. The acid will kill the virus over time, but do not expect over night results. To see appropriate topical treatments that can be done at home click “ Topical Therapy and Socks “ link found above. Look for Compound-W Foot Pads For Warts in that section.

3) Freezing Treatments: Warts are living organisms. Thus, they can be frozen and die. The theory behind freezing warts is just that. The freezing kills the virus and can also cauterize the blood supply to the virus. Several treatments may be needed. It may take time for the skin to slough off the virus infected skin, even after the wart is dead. To see appropriate freezing treatments, click “ Topical Therapy and Socks “ link above and look for Dr. Scholl’s Freeze Away Wart Remover.

If the topical treatments are not successful, then see your Primary Physician, Dermatologist, or Podiatrist. There are times that Laser or surgical excision become necessary, but even more agressive procedures like that are not guaranteed and the warts can return, thus, most Physicians will first try similar treatments, as discussed above.