4 Ways to Get Rid of Plantar Warts
Plantar warts can be a particularly painful type of wart both for their location on the bottom of the foot and the fact that they frequently are hidden by thick, callused skin in the heel and ball areas of the foot. The pressure from your weight forces the wart to grow inward, causing severe pain and discomfort. Often the only visible sign is a small bump under the skin.
Plantar warts can be hard to remove, and they can also look like other, more dangerous skin conditions like skin cancer, so be sure to have any skin lesions checked out by your foot doctor.
4 ways to get rid of plantar warts include the following:
- Laser therapy—A high energy laser is used to cauterize the blood vessels that feed the wart, thereby killing it.
- Cryotherapy—Your foot doctor carefully applies liquid nitrogen to the wart to freeze it. The wart can then be broken off in large pieces. Some of the other therapies can be used in conjunction to ensure complete eradication of the virus that causes warts.
- Medication—Since all warts are caused by human papillomavirus, an antiviral medication is taken orally to fight the virus from within. These medications may not be appropriate for all patients, so be sure to discuss the matter with your podiatrist.
- Acid treatment—A high strength salicylic acid is applied to remove the wart in layers. As mentioned, home treatments of this type are often ineffective due to incomplete wart removal and regrowth.
If you have a painful, hidden bump on the bottom of your foot, you may have a plantar wart that needs proper treatment by your podiatrist. The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists, in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County Arizona, have unparalleled experience in treating all aspects of foot and ankle care. Our team of doctors, including Christopher M. Funk, D.P.M., FACFAS, Bradley A. Whitaker, D.P.M., FACFAS, and Peter C. Merrill, D.P.M., AACFAS, is dedicated to serving you with state-of-the-art, cutting edge medical technologies including the PinPointe FootLaser, custom-fitted orthotics, and Radial Pulse Therapy (RPT) for chronic foot, heel, or ankle pain. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment, please call (520) 575-0800.
