Plantar Warts Specialist

What are plantar warts?

Plantar warts are hard, rough growths that typically develop on the bottom of your foot. Usually, these warts appear on the heels and balls of your feet, the main weight-bearing parts of your foot. Plantar warts can cause tenderness and pain when you stand or walk, and they often get worse over time. There are two main kinds of plantar warts:

Solitary wart

A solitary wart is a single plantar wart that’s usually on the ball or heel of your foot. Solitary warts slowly grow in size, and they might spawn satellite warts nearby.

Mosaic warts

Mosaic warts are plantar warts that grow together. Because many plantar warts can combine to form a big irregular mass, this kind of plantar wart can be more challenging to eradicate than a solitary wart. 

Usually, plantar warts are easy to see, but sometimes they’re nearly flat because weight-bearing forces them backward into your foot. If plantar warts grow inwards, they form a callus on the bottom of your foot. You might develop tiny dark spots within warts, which are clotted blood vessels.

What causes plantar warts?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes plantar warts. The virus typically gets into your body via tiny cuts, punctures, or other entry points on the bottom of your foot. You can pick up an HPV infection that leads to plantar warts by walking barefoot in damp areas, especially in public areas like swimming pools. 

You could also get HPV from direct contact with someone else with the infection, although that's less common. If you have a compromised immune system due to disease, you're more vulnerable to plantar warts. Children and older adults naturally have weaker immune systems, so they're more likely to develop plantar warts.

How can I remove plantar warts?

The Garden State Foot & Ankle Specialists team treats plantar warts on a case-by-case basis. After a simple exam and skin testing, if needed, your podiatrist might use one or more of the following noninvasive solutions. 

• Prescription topical wart medication
• Cryotherapy, freezing treatment to remove the wart
• Immune therapy to strengthen your immune system and fight the wart virus
• Laser therapy to remove the wart without incisions

If the noninvasive treatments aren't successful, you could need minor surgery to excise the wart. 

The Garden State Foot & Ankle Specialists team can help you find the most conservative solution to plantar warts, so don’t delay in getting care. Call any of the four office locations or book online now.