Plantar Warts

Warts stink! Well, they’re not actually smelly, but warts on the feet can keep you from doing a lot of things you love: getting pedicures, showing off your bare feet at the pool (on Instagram, of course), and just generally being a non-embarrassed human being when you take your shoes off.

Fortunately, foot warts can now be treated conveniently and efficiently with minimal discomfort and no lingering side effects thanks to Swift Microwave Therapy. This advanced therapy is now offered at Sierra Foot & Ankle, and is a significant improvement over conventional wart treatment techniques like chemical peeling, liquid nitrogen, or surgery.

What Are Plantar Warts?

A wart is a harmless, noncancerous lesion caused by a few different types of human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are more than 100 different types of the virus, but when certain strands cause an infection in the outer layer of skin on your feet, you can end up with plantar warts.

These growths can be spread indirectly from person to person, but aren’t easily transmitted. It really depends on your immune system, or if you have cuts, scrapes, or cracks on the bottom of your feet. If you have a weak immune system or skin openings, you’re more at risk of picking this infection up; especially in warm, moist environments where the fungus likes to thrive and grow.

For example, someone with a wart might be walking around a pool area without sandals on. If you walk around barefoot in that same area, you might develop a wart. The same thing can happen in public showers or locker rooms.

You Won’t Like What You, or Others, Find!

If you notice a wart when it’s small, it might look like a small dot on the bottom of your foot that interrupts the normal lines and grooves in your skin. The spot itself may look like a callus—some people mistake it for that instead of a wart. Underneath that skin, though, the wart has grown inward.

Sometimes, the wart can look like it has little dots or “seeds” in it. Those dots are actually clotted blood vessels that grow into the wart. Upon a closer look, you might also be able to see that the wart is rough and grainy.

Swift Therapy for Plantar Wart Treatment

Without treatment, most warts do go away on their own. However, this can take up to 2 years. That’s a long time to deal with these growths, especially if they are causing pain!

Some people may suggest you try home remedies like duct tape for a few months. However, we do not recommend them. There’s very little evidence showing home remedies are effective, and the longer you wait to get your warts treated properly, the greater the risk that they will spread.

There are also some over-the-counter wart removers you can try from the drug store. These are slightly more effective than home remedies, but still fail most of the time. Since warts on the feet are often “impacted” and the infection lives below the surface of the skin, over-the-counter solutions can’t always fully eradicate the wart, and even if they do work, they can take much longer than professional care.

For most people, we recommend you skip straight to professional care. We have several methods of treating warts that are far more effective than anything you can do on your own, including an advanced form of treatment known as Swift Microwave Therapy.

With Swift, a controlled dose of microwaves is applied to a predetermined depth in your skin, for a period of only 2-3 seconds. That’s all the time that’s necessary to rapidly treat the infected tissue, trigger a healing response from your body, and activate the immune system to attack the virus that caused the wart. Any mild discomfort you might feel from the treatment itself will go away almost immediately after a few seconds, and because there’s no damage to the surface of the skin, there’s no bleeding, need for bandaging, or any aftercare whatsoever.

 

Swift wart therapy

Common Plantar Warts FAQs

Do Home Remedies for Plantar Warts Work?

Yes and no! Home remedies can work for a short time on plantar warts, but they do not get down to treat the root cause of warts. So, what are plantar warts? It’s a contagious growth on the skin caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

Warts can spread and cause more issues in the future. When that happens, warts on your feet can make it uncomfortable to walk. It is always best to seek professional help to get a treatment plan customized for you to see the best results.

While there are numerous home remedies, none are proven to be as effective as professional treatment. Home remedies treat the top layer and rarely affect the root of the issue. So plantar warts tend to come back. Additionally,  acid-based remedies so further harm can be imposed on the surrounding area, causing more irritation and issues that professional treatment won’t cause.

Classic Home Remedies:

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar can help to eliminate the infected skin. How? Vinegar contains antimicrobial properties that fight HPV. Soak cotton in vinegar and place it on the infected skin. Cover with the bandage for four hours. 

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid removes dead skin cells, which clog your pores. Apply the salicylic acid on warts at least twice a day. Warts may disappear after several weeks.

Dandelion weed

Dandelion weed has antimicrobial components that help in the removal of dead skin. It helps soothe irritation and reduce skin inflammation. Apply the white sap twice a day for two weeks. 

Milk thistle

Milk thistle has antiviral properties that help to remove the infected skin. Dilute the milk thistle and apply at least twice a day. You may see some impact after a week of usage.

Aloe vera

Besides eliminating harmful pathogens, aloe vera relieves pain on itchy skin. Aloe vera is also used for Its healing aspect for psoriasis or burns. Apply at least twice a day for two weeks to see some results on the top layer of your skin.

What Can I Do to Treat Plantar Warts for Good?

Swift Microwave Therapy is a new, cutting-edge medical treatment for plantar warts that prevents them from coming back in the future. Swift Therapy uses your body’s immune system to treat the virus rather than just the effects of the wart in a less painful way than traditional treatments! During treatment, a controlled dose of microwaves is applied to your skin. That’s all the time that’s necessary to rapidly treat the infected tissue, trigger a healing response from your body, and activate the immune system to attack the virus that caused the wart.

At Sierra Foot & Ankle, we do not prescribe home remedies for the treatment of plantar warts.  Plantar warts are a pain to deal with and live with. If you are struggling with plantar warts, consult Sierra Foot & Ankle for Swift Therapy to treat and prevent warts from coming back.  Contact us today or call our office at (775) 783-8037 to finally solve plantar warts problems affecting your life!

Don’t Pick and Don’t Go Barefoot!

To prevent getting a growth on the bottom of your foot, wear shoes or sandals when you’re walking around pool areas, public showers, and locker rooms.

If you already have a wart, keep it from spreading by avoiding contact altogether. That means no picking, no matter how much you want to get rid of it! Make sure you use different nail supplies on your wart than what you use for the rest of your skin and nails. Always wash your hands whenever you touch the infected area.

If you need professional treatment for warts on the feet, call Sierra Foot & Ankle at (775) 783-8037. We can give you speedy solutions that will get rid of your growth!

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