Plantar warts are small, grainy growths resembling a callus that typically occur on the bottom of your feet. These are caused through direct contact with a virus that commonly occurs in the environment, which enters your feet through small cuts or breaks in the skin and results in this unpleasant and contagious condition. To not only treat and but also contain the spread of your plantar warts, it is crucial to contact your local podiatrists at Ankle & Foot Centers of America as soon as possible.

Plantar warts appear as single lesions or multiple lesions in varying colors, sizes and overall texture, depending on the severity of the case. They can cause serious pain while walking and will generally increase in size as time goes by. These warts are also highly contagious and can easily spread through skin contact between individuals, including family members, as well as walking barefoot in your own home’s bathroom and/or shower, public pools, and other similar areas.

Unfortunately, plantar warts are very difficult to treat and fully eliminate. The lesions occur on the outer layer of your skin, meaning that your immune system remains unaware of the foreign presence and thus does not implement a natural response to combat the virus.

To ensure that your warts are not left untreated, your podiatrist will implement one of today’s common treatment options. These include topical or oral treatments (prescription ointments or pills), cryotherapy (freezing), debriding the debriding the wart (removing the affected skin), laser therapy, as well as surgery.

Another popular treatment is a home remedy, involving the placement of duct tape onto the warts to stimulate your immune system. Theoretically, the adhesive in the tape causes a skin irritation that reaches deeper below the surface to eradicate the wart through an immune response.