Do you have a hard, grainy growth on the sole of your foot? Does it feel like you're stepping on a pebble whenever you put pressure on that part of your foot? Chances are, you have a plantar wart – a type of wart that, due to the pressure on the bottom of your foot, grows inward rather than protruding outward. Thankfully, plantar warts are mostly annoying, rather than harmful. Here's a look at your options for treating this ailment.
Peeling Medications
Wart treatments that contain the active ingredient salicylic acid are available over-the-counter at most pharmacies. These treatments need to be applied to your skin a couple of times per day. They cause the skin to peel off more quickly, which helps fight the wart and may eventually cause it to fall out on its own. Note that these medications do not work for everyone, and they can take several weeks or months to have an effect. However, they are a good first treatment to try since they are quite safe and side effect-free.
Freezing Treatments
If at-home salicylic acid treatments do not work for you, then a podiatrist can try freezing the wart using liquid nitrogen. Applying liquid nitrogen --which gets very cold when it comes in contact with the air-- to the wart should kill the wart and cause it to fall out several days or weeks later. However, if the wart is very deep, this treatment may not be as effective. It is also not a good idea for patients with immune disorders, since it can cause damage to the nearby skin and increase the risk of infection.
Minor Surgery
If you have a plantar wart that is really bothering you due to its size and placement, your podiatrist can remove it surgically. The surgery is rather minor and can be performed under local anesthetic. The surgeon will use a scalpel to cut away the wart, and will then cauterize the area with heat to keep the wart from coming back. Your foot will be sore and will need to be bandaged for a few days. Because of the recovery time required, this procedure is often only recommended for severe warts or when other treatments have failed.
If your plantar warts are minor, they should prove to just be a minor annoyance that you can deal with using salicylic acid creams and pads. However, you should not hesitate to speak to your podiatrist like Aiken Maurice W, DPM PA about other options should the warts make it hard or painful for you to go about your daily life.
Share23 November 2015
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