Plantar Warts Treatment

 

 

Plantar warts are a common condition that podiatrists evaluate and treat. I regularly treat these painful lesions in our Vista office. The plantar wart is caused by a virus, the HPV virus to be precise. There are hundreds of different strains of the HPV virus, some of which cause warts on feet. I employ multiple modalities to treat the warts. One of the first lines of treatment is salicylic acid, such as Compound W, which can be purchased over-the-counter. Salicylic acid works by soften the skin and slowly destroying the affected wart tissue. However, the skin on the bottom of the foot is often thick and callused so the wart may remain after long uses of the medication.

Cryotherapy is a great treatment that I offer in the office. The callus is carefully removed exposing the deep warty tissue. Liquid nitrogen is then applied which freezes and destroys the wart. This procedure does not require any injections and usually has minimal discomfort. You may have seen the off-the-shelf freezing cans, but these products do not reach the extremely low temperatures of liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen has a temperature around -320  ⁰F and is kept in a special canister to prevent evaporation.

I also prescribe topical medications which can be more effective than salicylic acid. Excision of the warts in office is another technique that I use if the warts are not responding to other treatments. The area around the wart is numbed with anesthetic and the wart is removed. No treatment is 100 % successful but we can discuss the treatment options and make a plan that works best for you. Visit Dr. Berthelsen in Vista California for an evaluation today!