How to Get Rid of Plantar Warts (Verrucas)

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The newest research on plantar warts suggests that many different treatments can be effective, including some that you can try at home without the care of a physician. [1] These warts occur on the bottom of the foot, which can make walking uncomfortable, but they're benign, so experts think it's typically okay to start with over-the-counter remedies like salicylic acid gels or patches. If that doesn't take care of the problem, a healthcare provider can help you figure out which treatment methods are best for you.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Treating Plantar Warts at Home

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  1. Although treatments at home are effective, they will usually take many months to be effective. If you want your warts to disappear faster, it's best to seek the care of your doctor. Permanent eradication may still take a long time, even when warts are treated by a doctor.
    • 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.
  2. Soften the top of the wart by soaking your foot in warm water for several minutes. Then take the excess skin off the top with a pumice stone or nail file. Be sure that you don't use this stone or file for anything else, ever, as you can transfer the virus to other areas of the body.
    • Removing the top layer of dead skin will help the product to go deeper into the wart.
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  3. There are a variety of topical (on the skin) over-the-counter products, such as Compound W, that treat plantar warts using salicylic acid. Treatments come as liquid, gel or patches. Follow the directions on the package to successfully remove your plantar wart.
    • Salicylic acid treatments are not painful but it can take several weeks for full results to appear.
  4. [2] Duct tape should be cut to the size of the wart and placed over the top of it for up to six days. On the seventh day, remove the tape, soak the foot for five minutes in warm water to soften the dead skin on the top, and then use a pumice stone or nail file to buff off the top layers of the wart. Replace the duct tape for another six days.
    • 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.
  5. The freezing process works to close off the blood supply to the wart. There are over-the-counter medications you can use at home to freeze the wart, including Compound W Freeze Off and Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away. Follow the directions on the product you are using.
    • Freezing at home will be uncomfortable and some will consider it painful. A doctor can use a local anesthetic to freeze the wart deeper.
  6. While plantar warts are often treated successfully at home, there are times when you may need treatment from your physician. [3] Visit your doctor if any of these complications occur:
    • 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.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Having a Doctor Treat Your Plantar Warts

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  1. Salicylic acids sold over the counter are peeling agents used to reduce the size of the wart. When home treatments are not effective, your physician can use stronger acid peels including bichloracetic acid or trichloroacetic acid. [4]
    • These treatments require several return visits and you may be asked to use salicylic acid between doctor treatments.
  2. Similar to using a freezing compound at home, cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart tissue. After the treatment, a blister forms, heals, and then falls off, taking with it all or part of the wart.
    • 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.
  3. There are two laser procedures used for wart removal. In the first, the laser cuts the growth away from the skin and in the other, the laser cauterizes the blood vessels that feed the wart, killing it.
    • Laser surgery can be painful and may require a longer time period for healing. It is done on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia.
  4. [5] In this process, the doctor will use an intralesional injection of antigens into the wart. In other words, they inject toxins into the wart that stimulate your immune system to fight the virus.
    • This treatment is reserved for warts that are stubborn or have been very resistant to other treatment modalities.
  5. Podiatrists may choose to use a technique that involves cutting away the wart. The doctor uses electric needles to kill the tissue around the wart and entirely remove the wart. The process can be painful and often results in scar tissue; however, it is effective and often has successful long-term results.
    • 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.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Identifying and Preventing Plantar Warts

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  1. The wart is the result of exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 120 different strains of HPV, only five to six of which are responsible for plantar warts. [6] The virus is caught through exposure to skin scales that are infected by the virus.
    • 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. [7] 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. [8]
  2. It should be a small area of skin that is hard and flat with a rough surface and defined boundaries. Although a plantar wart may start out looking like a callus, warts are caused by an infection. There are two ways the plantar wart may infect your foot: either as a solitary wart or as a cluster, called mosaic plantar warts. [9]
    • 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.
  3. Is the area painful? While plantar warts may look like calluses on the bottom of the feet, they are painful when standing and are painful when they are squeezed.
    • Look for black specks inside the thickened skin. These are often called wart “seeds” but are actually small clotted blood vessels inside the wart.
  4. Warts are contagious between people and on your own body. Three small plantar warts on the bottom of your foot can quickly spread to 10 satellite warts, making the situation more difficult to treat.
    • As with most medical conditions, the earlier you find a wart and start treatment the easier it is to experience successful results.
  5. After treatment and resolution, you are more at risk for another infection with HPV, which causes plantar warts. To begin with, wear flip-flops or other waterproof shoes in public areas, showers, locker rooms, saunas, pools and hot tubs. Also, keep your feet clean and dry. Change your socks daily and use foot powder if your feet are sweaty.
    • 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.
  6. Do not scratch or pick at a wart you already have. This can spread it to other parts of your body or to others.
    • 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.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    I had a wart which has now become a mosaic wart. I tried applying salicylic acid and a lot of different medicines for over six months, but it didn't work. What can I do? I've had this wart more than five years now.
    Shari Forschen, NP, MA
    Family Nurse Practitioner
    Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute care bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her degree from Medcenter one College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Association.
    Shari Forschen, NP, MA
    Family Nurse Practitioner
    Expert Answer
    Long standing warts that are resistant to home treatment and conventional treatment should be treated medically by physician. Immune modulating treatments may be needed to treat this condition.
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  • Question
    How long does it take for a plantar wart to heal?
    Shari Forschen, NP, MA
    Family Nurse Practitioner
    Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute care bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her degree from Medcenter one College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Association.
    Shari Forschen, NP, MA
    Family Nurse Practitioner
    Expert Answer
    Most common warts in healthy people resolve naturally on their own. Clearance rates in children from time of diagnosis to clearance are 23% at two months, 30% at three months, 65% to 78% at two years, and 90% at five years.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    I have four plantar warts on the ball of my foot. Is there a home remedy I could try?
    Shari Forschen, NP, MA
    Family Nurse Practitioner
    Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute care bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her degree from Medcenter one College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Association.
    Shari Forschen, NP, MA
    Family Nurse Practitioner
    Expert Answer
    See above for home remedies as this is addressed in content of article for home care treatments. Good luck!
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      Tips

      • Change your socks daily and keep your feet clean and dry to both prevent recurrence and during treatment of plantar warts.
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      • Use flip flops or other types of waterproof shoes in public locker rooms, showers, and around the outside of pool areas, saunas, and hot tubs.
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      • Wear special socks at swimming pools if you have a plantar wart to stop it from spreading.
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      Warnings

      • Never try to cut out a plantar wart at home. It can result in bleeding and infection.
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      • If you have diabetes, coronary artery disease, or peripheral vascular disease have your plantar warts treated by a podiatrist, who is a doctor that specializes in the feet.
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      • You can't get warts from touching frogs or toads.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.podiatrytoday.com/current-and-emerging-concepts-wart-treatment
      2. ↑ https://www.drugs.com/cg/plantar-wart.html
      3. ↑ https://www.drugs.com/cg/plantar-wart.html
      4. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-warts/basics/treatment/con-20025706
      5. ↑ http://www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0815/p647.html
      6. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/hpv.pdf
      7. ↑ https://www.drugs.com/cg/plantar-wart.html
      8. ↑ https://www.drugs.com/cg/plantar-wart.html
      9. ↑ http://www.foothealthfacts.org/footankleinfo/Plantar_Wart.htm

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To get rid of plantar warts, soak your foot in warm water for several minutes, then gently file away the top of the wart with a pumice stone or a nail file. However, you must be very careful to never use this file for anything else, as you can transfer the plantar wart virus to other parts of your body. Once you’ve softened the skin on the wart, apply a topical wart treatment that contains salicylic acid. These treatments may take several months. If you want to remove the warts more quickly, visit your doctor. Keep reading for tips from our medical reviewer on the types of treatments a doctor might use, like cryotherapy.

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        Sep 13, 2017

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