Warts

What are plantar warts?

Plantar warts are warts that develop on the soles of your feet. They're more common in children but can develop at any age. When plantar warts occur in groups, they're called mosaic warts.

What are the symptoms of plantar warts?

Plantar warts may look like a callus. They don't typically protrude the same way that warts on your hands can. Plantar warts can be nearly any color but are usually skin-colored, gray, or brown. You may also have tiny dark spots within the wart, which is dried blood.

Although plantar warts are usually small to start with, they can grow much larger and may multiply into mosaic warts. If plantar warts are on the balls of your feet or your heels, they can cause shooting pain with every step.

What causes plantar warts?

The HPV virus causes plantar warts. Typically, the HPV virus gets into your skin through tiny cuts or abrasions. Walking barefoot in moist, warm, environments like public swimming pools greatly increases the risk for plantar warts.

How can I remove plantar warts?

It's possible that plantar warts can go away without treatment, but if you're in pain, you'd probably prefer to get fast relief instead of waiting and hoping they'll vanish on their own. Dr. Durfey or Dr. Hiapo can treat your plantar warts quickly and effectively in a few different ways, such as:

• Cryotherapy, a liquid nitrogen solution that freezes the wart off
• Laser therapy to close the blood vessels within your wart, which destroys the wart
• Topical acids like trichloroacetic or salicylic acid to encourage peeling
• Surgical wart excision under local anesthesia
  
  

After your wart removal, there's rarely any downtime. Just be sure to take precautions like always wearing shoes in locker rooms, swimming pools, or other areas where the HPV virus thrives. Also, be sure to clean and bandage any cuts or abrasions on your feet rather than walking on them.

Plantar warts don't have to be a pain in your foot anymore. Use the online appointment scheduler or call Arizona Foot and Ankle Medical Center to get plantar wart removal from a caring and skilled podiatrist now.