Methods Your Podiatrist Can Use To Remove Plantar Warts

Plantar warts develop on the bottom of your feet. They look different from regular warts in that they are flat and more spread out. They can be painful if you happen to develop a wart in an area where you bear weight such as a heel or ball of your foot. It isn't a good idea to use home remedies on plantar warts because you can damage healthy skin as well and that can make walking even more painful. Instead, you should see a podiatry physician for treatment. Here's how a podiatrist can help your plantar wart.

Cutting Out The Wart

One reason plantar warts are so difficult to get rid of with home remedies is because they are tough since they are on the bottom of your feet. It may be necessary for your podiatrist to do a quick surgery on your foot to cut out the wart. This method of treatment has a high success rate for getting rid of plantar warts. Other treatments can be tried but they aren't always as successful because if the wart isn't completely removed, the virus is left behind and the wart will grow back. The downside to cutting out a wart on the bottom of your foot is that it takes a longer time to heal than other methods and you can have foot soreness when you walk.

Freezing The Plantar Wart

Freezing is not always the best option for removing a plantar wart because it can be painful when done on the bottom of your foot. To do this procedure, the podiatrist applies liquid nitrogen to the wart to kill it. The tissue dies and gradually sloughs off over time. This treatment requires a long time to heal, so your podiatrist may not recommend it for areas of your foot that bear weight and are sensitive to pain.

Burning Off The Wart

Another way to get rid of warts is to burn them off. This can be done with a laser or electrocautery. These treatments burn out the wart. Electrocautery doesn't use electricity on the wart, instead, the electricity is used to heat up a needle. The needle is then pressed against the wart to burn it away. These treatments can be painful and leave scars behind.

Chemical Wart Removal

Another option for your podiatrist is chemical removal. To apply this treatment, the doctor applies a chemical to the wart that causes it to form a blister. The wart is then covered with a bandage. In a few days, the blister will peel and pull away a portion of the wart. You may need multiple treatments to get rid of plantar warts this way. The chemical removal agents you buy at a pharmacy work in a similar way, but they are not as strong as the solutions your podiatrist has access to. That's why professional treatments usually work better.

Plantar warts can be difficult to get rid of sometimes since they are caused by a virus. If the virus isn't destroyed completely, the wart may keep returning. You may need multiple treatments or a combination of treatments to get rid of your wart for good.

For more information, you will want to contact a company such as Elkhorn Foot and Ankle Clinic PLLC.

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