Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Home Remedies
• Method 2 of 3: Medical Assistance
• Method 3 of 3: Identifying and Preventing Plantar Warts
• Tips
• Warnings

Warts are small, dense, benign growths on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Plantar warts form on the lower part of the foot, which makes walking very difficult - it always seems that a pebble has got into the shoes. They often appear in the area of ​​the foot that is exposed to the most pressure, and as a result, the wart becomes flat and penetrates deeper under the skin.In most cases, plantar warts do not require medical attention or treatment. A few simple home remedies can help you get rid of plantar warts at home and prevent them from forming in the future.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Home Remedies

1. 1 Be aware of the limitations of home remedies. Although home treatment is quite effective, it usually takes many months. If you want to get rid of the wart faster, it's best to see your doctor. Even so, it can take a long time to completely clear the warts.
   • Plantar warts often go away on their own and leave no scars, but this can take several months. During this time, the wart can be painful and make it difficult for you to walk.
2. 2 Prepare your plantar wart for treatment. Soak your foot in warm water for a few minutes to loosen the top of the wart. Then use a pumice stone or a nail file to remove excess skin from the wart. Do not use this pumice stone or nail file for any other purpose so as not to spread the virus to other parts of the body.
   • Removing the top layer of dead skin will help the product penetrate deeper into the wart.
3. 3 Try salicylic acid to treat the wart. There are many over-the-counter topical salicylic acid products available to help treat plantar warts. They are available in the form of slurries, gels, or plaster. Follow the attached directions for use to successfully remove the wart.
   • Salicylic acid products are painless, but it may take several weeks for successful treatment.
4. 4 Try using duct tape. Cut a piece of tape the same size as the wart, stick it over the wart, and keep it for up to six days. On the seventh day, remove the tape, soak your foot in warm water for five minutes to soften the skin, and scrape off the top layer of the wart with a pumice stone or nail file. Then cover the wart with tape for the next six days.
   • Do not use a used pumice stone or nail file for any other purpose.
   • This process can take several weeks before you achieve noticeable results.
   • While it is not known why this method works, it often yields good results.
5. 5 Consider using freezing agents at home. Freezing allows you to interrupt the supply of blood to the wart. There are over-the-counter home freezers on sale, such as Wartner Cryo or Cryopharma. Follow the enclosed directions for use.
   • Freezing a wart at home is a poorly controlled process that can be painful. The doctor will be able to use a local anesthetic to freeze the wart deeper.
6. 6 Decide if it's time to see your doctor. Although plantar warts can often be treated at home, some cases may require the help of a doctor. See your doctor for any of the following complications:
   • the wart could not be removed with home remedies, or it disappeared, but soon reappeared;
   • the wart quickly grows or grows into a whole cluster - it can be a mosaic wart;
   • the wart has started to bleed or the pain has worsened after treatment;
   • the area around the wart is red, swollen, or has begun to secrete pus - these signs indicate an infection;
   • if you have diabetes, peripheral arterial disease or coronary artery disease. In case of these diseases plantar warts should not be removed at home and it is necessary to consult an orthopedist who can control the blood supply to the feet through the peripheral vessels. Due to poor blood supply, these conditions increase the risk of infection and tissue death.

Method 2 of 3: Medical Assistance

1. 1 Ask your doctor about more potent acid exfoliators. Over-the-counter salicylic acid medications can help reduce warts. If these products are ineffective, your doctor may use stronger exfoliators, including dichloroacetic acid or trichloroacetic acid.
   • However, you will have to revisit your doctor several times, and you may be advised to use salicylic acid in between visits.
2. 2 Talk to your doctor about cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is similar to freezing a wart at home and uses liquid nitrogen. After freezing, a blister forms, which then heals and falls off along with all or part of the wart.
   • This is a painful procedure and is not usually used to remove warts in young children. Depending on the size of the area to be treated, the doctor may apply a local anesthetic.
   • Several cryotherapy sessions may be needed to completely remove the wart.
3. 3 Talk to your doctor about laser treatments. There are two methods of laser therapy that can help get rid of warts. In the first, using a laser, the wart is separated from the skin, and in the second, the blood vessels feeding it are cauterized, as a result of which the wart dies off.
   • Laser therapy can be painful and may take longer to heal. It is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia.
4. 4 Talk to your doctor about immunotherapy. In this method, the doctor injects antigens into the wart. In other words, it injects toxins into the wart that prompt the immune system to fight the virus.
   • This method is used if the warts are difficult to remove or they cannot be acted upon by other means.
5. 5 Discuss surgery if other methods cannot remove the wart. A podiatrist may decide to surgically remove the wart. He uses electric needles to kill the tissue around the wart and then remove it completely. This procedure can be painful and often leave scars. However, it is effective and often helps to get rid of warts for a long time.
   • NEVER try to cut a wart at home. In the absence of suitable sterile instruments, this can lead to bleeding and infection.

Method 3 of 3: Identifying and Preventing Plantar Warts

1. 1 Assess if you are at an increased risk of plantar warts. Warts are caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 120 different strains of HPV, but only five or six of them can cause plantar warts. This virus is infected as a result of contact with already infected skin particles.
   • The risk of plantar warts is increased in athletes who shower frequently and do not protect their feet. For example, swimmers are at increased risk in both summer and winter if they share showers and walk barefoot around the pool. However, this applies to all athletes who use the gym locker room, showers and other places where they usually go barefoot.
   • The virus can easily enter the body through cracked or flaky skin on the feet. In addition, people whose feet remain damp and sweaty throughout the day are at increased risk, as excessive moisture damages the skin and makes it easier for the virus to penetrate.
   • Those who already have plantar warts are at increased risk of their recurrence. For example, with an existing plantar wart, it is easier for the virus to spread to other parts of the body.
   • People with a weakened immune system, such as people with mononucleosis or cancer, with psoriatic arthritis treatment, Epstein-Barr virus infection, or HIV infection, are at increased risk of developing plantar warts.
2. 2 Consider the areas where you suspect plantar warts have formed. A plantar wart is a small, hard and flat area with a rough surface and sharp edges. Although plantar warts may resemble calluses, they form as a result of an infection. Plantar warts are of two types: a single wart or an entire group (called a mosaic wart).
   • A single wart can gradually grow larger and eventually break up into several warts around the original one.
   • Mosaic plantar warts are a group of warts that are not separated by healthy skin. In this case, there is no main wart and its companions - all the warts grow closely to each other and look like a single large formation. Mosaic warts are harder to remove than single ones.
3. 3 Look for secondary symptoms. Are you experiencing pain in the wart area? Although plantar warts may resemble calluses, they hurt when you press or stand on them.
   • Note the black spots inside the thickened skin. These spots are often referred to as “seeds,” although they are actually small clogged blood vessels inside the wart.
4. 4 Pay attention to the spread of warts. You can get warts from other people or transfer them from one place in your body to another. Three small plantar warts can quickly grow to 10 associated warts that are more difficult to get rid of.
   • As with most other diseases, in order to successfully remove the wart, it is advisable to detect it as soon as possible and begin treatment.
5. 5 Try to prevent recurrence of plantar warts in the future. After successful treatment, there is an increased risk of re-infection with HPV, which causes plantar warts to form. For prevention, wear waterproof shoes, such as flip-flops, in public places, showers, changing rooms, saunas, swimming pools and baths. Also, keep your feet clean and dry. Change your socks daily and use powder if your feet are sweating.
   • Apply coconut oil to your feet before bed to prevent cracking and exfoliation. Place some coconut oil on each foot and wear clean socks.
6. 6 Try not to infect others with warts. Do not scrape or scratch the existing wart, otherwise it may spread to other parts of the body or spread to others.
   • Do not touch other people's warts or wear other people's socks or shoes.
   • Wear flip flops or other waterproof shoes when showering at home to prevent the spread of warts to your family members.
   • Do not throw your clothes, towels and socks on the floor in shared changing rooms and swimming pools.

Tips

• Change your socks daily and keep your feet clean and dry to help heal plantar warts faster and prevent them from reoccurring.
• Use flip flops or other waterproof shoes in shared changing rooms, showers, around the pool, public sauna or steam bath.
• If you have a plantar wart, wear special socks when visiting the pool to prevent it from being passed on to others.

Warnings

• Never try to cut a plantar wart at home. This can lead to bleeding and infection.
• If you have diabetes, coronary artery disease, or peripheral arterial disease, see a podiatrist or limb health specialist for plantar warts.
• You cannot get warts by touching frogs or toads.