Caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the soles of your feet, entering your body through cuts and breaks in your skin, often developing on the heels or balls of your feet.
Since plantar warts can be painful and resistant to treatment, you may need to see your podiatrist to treat and remove your plantar warts.
Symptoms of Plantar Warts
- Small, fleshy, grainy bumps on the soles of your feet
- Hard and flat growths
- Rough surface with defined boundaries
- Gray or brown lumps with one or more black pinpoints
Treating Plantar Warts
- Salicylic Acid- Wart medications and patches made with a salicylic acid solution can peel off the infected skin a little bit at a time. This process may need to be repeated for up to three or four weeks to completely eliminate warts.
- Cryotherapy- Cryotherapy, or freezing, is one of the most common treatments for plantar warts and is sometimes effective. However, this may require multiple trips every two to four weeks.
- Minor Surgery- This involves cutting away the wart or destroying the wart by using an electric needle in a process called electrodesiccation and curettage. This treatment is effective but may leave a scar if not done carefully.
- Laser Surgery- Doctors can use several types of lasers to eliminate stubborn warts. Surgical and non-surgical types require multiple treatments as well and the effectiveness may vary among patients.
- Medications- In severe cases that haven’t cleared with other therapies, your doctor may inject each wart with a medication called bleomycin, which kills the virus. This medication is given systemically in higher doses to treat some kinds of cancer. The injections for wart treatment can be painful and can cause rashes or itching and are only used in very extreme circumstances.
If you are suffering from plantar warts and have not been able to get rid of them, contact the Foot and Ankle Specialists of Illinois to see how we can help you today!
