Wart Treatment

You’ve heard of warts, but do you know exactly what they are or how they develop? Warts are benign skin lesions due to a viral infection known as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The virus generally invades the skin through small cuts and abrasions. Warts can be painful and are often mistaken for corns or calluses. They can appear anywhere on the skin but are commonly found on the bottom of the foot (plantar warts). Approximately 50% of warts may resolve without treatment over a two year period, however, treatment is recommended to prevent the spread of the infection to the feet and other people.

Common Ways to Contract Warts

If you have developed a wart, this means that you have come into contact with a wart-causing virus at some point in the past, even months ago. Common ways to develop a wart include using towels or other inanimate objects that are contaminated with the virus, coming into contact with infested public areas such as pool decks, locker rooms, public showers, etc.

Wart Prevention

The easiest way to avoid developing a wart is by avoiding coming into contact with the virus itself. Wash your hands as often as possible, and if you go to the gym, make sure to clean the equipment before you use it. Always wear protective footwear like sandals while you are in public areas like locker rooms or pool decks. Keep your skin healthy and moisturized to create a barrier between your skin and the virus.

Warts are benign skin lesions due to a viral infection known as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The virus generally invades the skin through small cuts and abrasions. Warts can be painful and are often mistaken for corns or calluses. They can appear anywhere on the skin but are commonly found on the bottom of the foot (plantar warts). Approximately 50% of warts may resolve without treatment over a two year period, however, treatment is recommended to prevent the spread of the infection to the feet and other people.

Warts are treated in our office both topically and surgically. Topical treatment involves debridement or trimming of overlying dead skin and application liquid acids. This usually requires several treatments and is painless. Surgical treatment involves numbing the wart with an injection and then excising or removing the wart with a laser. The greatest success rate for wart treatment is found with laser removal.  Your podiatrist may also recommend medications to apply to the wart at home and daily multivitamins or prescriptions to boost your immune system to fight the virus.