Various Techniques To Help With Getting Rid Of Plantar Warts

By John Raven


A virus known as human papilloma virus, or HPV, causes lesions to appear on the bottom of the foot. These lesions, called plantar warts, appear flattened and often have a dark speck in the middle that is caused by a small blood clot. The wart grows inward, causing the inner part to be up to three times larger. Similar to bunions and calluses, these growths can be very painful while walking. They can spread, which makes getting rid of plantar warts important.

Salicylic acid is a common ingredient found in over the counter treatments. These types of treatments work by removing skin cells on the surface. The acid must be applied daily to the wart and the skin on the wart should be rubbed off. Treatments will either be once or twice per day for about four weeks.

Chemotherapy is another treatment method. A retinoid or type of chemical that kills viruses will be used for the treatment. There are some versions that require tiny injections directly into the wart. Topical ointment or cream versions are applied to the surface. These particular chemicals destroy the wart-causing virus cells, which allows the body to handle dissolving the wart.

Another treatment that is becoming more common is immune system stimulation through immunotherapy. This type of treatment involves injecting candida, mumps, or trichophytin antigens into the growth. The immune system automatically responds and attacks the antigens while also attacking the virus that causes the wart to grow. In many cases, any other growths also begin to dissolve.

There are also different surgical treatments that can be used, such as cryosurgery, electrodesiccation, and laser removal. Cryosurgery involves freezing the wart by applying liquid nitrogen directly to the wart. Electrodesiccation uses an electrical current is used to cause the tissue in the growth to wither and dry up. Laser removal uses a pulsed laser in multiple treatments to remove the wart.

An Epson salt soak and pumice stone can be an effective home treatment, particularly when the body is working to fight off the virus on its own. Epson salt is added to warm water and the foot can be soaked for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the area is softened. The pumice stone is used to rub the softened skin off and the whole process will need to be repeated daily until the wart is removed completely.

Duct tape can be put over the wart to aid in removal. Allow the tape to stay on the area for five to six days without removing it. Then, the area should be washed to ensure that all the adhesive from the tape is gone. While the skin is still soft, a pumice stone or foot file should be used to rub off the softened skin over the wart.

The process of getting rid of plantar warts can be lengthy. There are often multiple treatments required to remove the the wart completely. In many cases, the wart may return or spreading may occur. These cases often mean that the wart is stubborn and will likely require a more aggressive treatment method.




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