What are plantar warts?
Plantar warts are warts that develop on the weight-bearing parts of your feet. They’re the same type of common wart — or verruca vulgaris — that can develop anywhere else on your body, but they’re called plantar warts because they develop on the plantar portion of your foot or the bottom of your foot.
Plantar warts are most common in children, but they can develop at any age. The symptoms include:
- Small growths on your foot that hurt when pinched
- Calluses over a visible spot on your foot
- Black specks on your foot
- Pain when putting pressure on the wart, like when you stand or walk
If you notice any growth on your foot, or have pain in a targeted area when you put pressure on your foot, ask your Precision Podiatry doctor about it. They can determine if it’s a wart and, if so, apply treatment to resolve it.
What causes plantar warts?
These warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Once the virus enters your skin, it causes a wart to develop. HPV likes damp areas, so it’s most commonly contracted in shared, wet spaces like locker rooms and swimming pools. If you regularly visit these areas, the Precision Podiatry team encourages you to wear sandals to protect your feet against HPV.
When you have a plantar wart, you can spread the virus to others. It’s important to keep your floors at home clean and dry — especially in the bathroom — and to avoid sharing socks or shoes.
How are plantar warts treated?
Although there are over-the-counter treatments to remove plantar warts, they’re often ineffective. The skin on the bottom of your foot is thick, and these at-home treatments often can’t penetrate deeply enough to eradicate the wart.
Fortunately, your Precision Podiatry doctor has several plantar wart treatment options from which they can choose to fully remove your wart. Depending on the size, location, and a number of warts on your foot, they may use:
- Topical acids to destroy the wart
- Liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart
- Laser treatment to burn the wart
- Surgery to excise the wart
Your doctor is committed to choosing the least invasive treatment to keep your feet wart-free.
To get fast, effective plantar wart treatment, call Precision Podiatry today.
