Plantar warts will often disappear on their own and will not leave a scar; however, this can take several months to happen. The warts may be painful, making walking difficult.
Removing the top layer of dead skin will help the product to go deeper into the wart.
Salicylic acid treatments are not painful but it can take several weeks for full results to appear.
Do not use the pumice stone or nail file for any other purpose. This process can take several weeks to see results. It is not known why this process is thought to work, but many have good results using this method.
Freezing at home will be uncomfortable and some will consider it painful. A doctor can use a local anesthetic to freeze the wart deeper.
If the wart does not go away after treatment or if it appears to go away but returns quickly. If the wart grows larger quickly or appears to cluster. In this case, it may be a Mosaic wart. If the wart starts bleeding or you have more pain after treatment. The area becomes red, swollen, or starts draining pus. This indicates that the area has become infected. If you are a diabetic, have peripheral vascular disease, or have coronary artery disease. If you suffer from these medical conditions it is important that you do not treat your plantar warts at home but get them treated by a podiatrist who will monitor your peripheral vascular supply to the feet. These conditions increase the risk of infection or tissue death because of poor blood supply.
These treatments require several return visits and you may be asked to use salicylic acid between doctor treatments.
This option is painful and not generally used on young children. Your physician may use a local anesthetic depending on the size of the area being treated. Cryotherapy can require several sessions with your doctor for full effectiveness.
Laser surgery can be painful and may require a longer time period for healing. It is done on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia.
This treatment is reserved for warts that are stubborn or have been very resistant to other treatment modalities.
NEVER try to cut away a wart at home. This can lead to bleeding and infection when it isn’t done with the proper tools and in a sterile environment.
Athletes who shower in common areas are at higher risk due to the increased number of people sharing the area, usually without protection over the feet. For instance, swimmers, both indoors and outdoors during the summer months, are at increased risk if they use communal showers and tiled areas around the pool; however, this includes all individuals who use a gym area locker room, shower cubicles, or hot tub areas where people usually walk barefoot. Individuals who have cracked or peeling skin on the feet give the virus good entry into the body. Also, individuals whose feet remain moist or sweaty throughout the day will have an increased risk as the skin breaks down from overexposure to moisture increasing the risk the virus can gain entry to the body. Individuals who have had plantar warts once are at higher risk of having them again. [8] X Research source For instance, individuals who pick at a wart can spread the virus more easily to other parts of the body. Individuals who have a compromised immune system from illnesses such as mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus, cancer, cancer treatments used for individuals with psoriatic arthritis, or individuals with HIV or AIDS. [9] X Research source
A solitary or single wart will increase in size and may eventually multiply into several solitary warts that are satellites of the original wart. Mosaic plantar warts are a cluster of warts without clear skin between them. They are not satellites of each other, but rather grow very close together and appear to be one rather large wart. Mosaic warts are more difficult to treat than solitary warts.
Look for black specks inside the thickened skin. These are often called wart “seeds” but are actually small clotted blood vessels inside the wart.
As with most medical conditions, the earlier you find a wart and start treatment the easier it is to experience successful results.
Use coconut oil on your feet in the evening before bed to prevent cracked and peeling skin. Use a pair of clean socks after applying a dime size amount of coconut oil to each foot.
Do not touch other people’s warts and do not wear socks or shoes that belong to other people. Wear flip-flops or other waterproof shoes in the shower at home when you have warts to prevent the spread to other family members. Keep clothing, towels, and socks off the floor in public locker rooms and pool areas.
