Plantar Wart

About 4 in 10 Americans have human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes plantar warts, and up to 12% of people with HPV develop plantar warts that make it hard to walk. At Mid-South Foot & Ankle Specialists in Atoka, Cordova, and East Memphis, Tennessee, the leading podiatry care providers can expertly treat your plantar warts using traditional and advanced methods. Call the office nearest you or book your appointment online today.

What are plantar warts?

Plantar warts occur on the soles of your feet. While common warts are prominent fleshy bumps, plantar warts are generally flat and hard. These warts can grow larger or spawn other plantar warts without treatment. Mosaic warts are a cluster of plantar warts.

What are the symptoms of plantar warts?

Plantar warts can cause symptoms including:

• Rough skin growth at the base of the toes, on the ball of the foot, or the heel
• Thickened skin, similar to a callus
• Pain when standing or walking
• Black dots in the middle of the wart (broken blood vessels)

While plantar warts can resemble calluses, they can also occur alongside them. For example, calluses often grow atop plantar warts over time. 

What causes plantar warts?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes plantar warts. While the specific types of HPV that cause plantar warts (1, 4, 57, 60, 63, and 66) aren’t among the most contagious strains, HPV thrives in damp, warm environments.

If you have a tiny cut, puncture, or break in the skin on the soles of your feet, you could pick up the virus if you walk barefoot in a locker room, around a public swimming pool, or a public sauna. 

While person-to-person transmission isn’t common, it’s important to know that HPV can live on surfaces like floors and sports equipment for months to years. 

How are plantar warts treated?

Plantar wart treatment focuses on removing the wart and also eliminating the virus from your body. There are a few different treatment approaches, including: 

• Salicylic acid gel to peel warts off in increments
• Cryotherapy to freeze the wart and destroy it with liquid nitrogen
• Cantharidin to cause a blister beneath the wart, which your provider clips off later
• Laser therapy to cut off the wart’s blood supply so it dies
• CO2 laser cautery to remove the wart
• Injections of bleomycin, which destroys the HPV

Remember that trying to remove the wart on your own is dangerous. You can easily remove too much skin, leading to a dangerous open wound and a secondary infection. 

In the future, be sure to treat any wounds — even the tiniest ones — right away and avoid going barefoot to reduce your risk of more plantar warts.

Worried about plantar warts? Mid-South Foot & Ankle Specialists can help. Call the office nearest you or click on the online scheduling link now.