Plantar warts are caused by direct contact with the human papilloma virus (HPV). This is the same virus that causes warts on other areas of the body.

The symptoms of a plantar wart may include:

• Thickened skin.

  A plantar wart often resembles a callus because of its tough, thick tissue.

• Pain.

  Walking and standing may be painful. Squeezing the sides of the wart may also cause pain.

• Tiny black dots.

  These often appear on the surface of the wart. The dots are actually dried blood contained in the capillaries (tiny blood vessels). Plantar warts grow deep into the skin. Usually, this growth occurs slowly with the wart starting small and becoming larger over time.

For treatment of plantar warts an accurate diagnosis is required. At times patient’s treat warts however the are really corns or foreign bodies which and making the problem.

Worse. Once confirmation the wart is diagnosed then treatment is started. Most over-the-counter medications are not strong enough to address the plantar warts. In our office we offer a variety of treatment options

• prescription strength salicylic acid
• cantharone and cantharone plus
• candida Injections
• prescriptions for creams and ointments- example Efudex, Imiquimod, etc
• Compound medications
• Curetting under local anesthesia
• For large or mosaic chronic verruca’s excision under sedation or general anesthesia

Although many folk remedies for warts exist, patients should be aware that these remain unproven and may be dangerous. Patients should never try to remove warts themselves. This can do more harm than good.