What is a plantar wart?
A plantar wart is a small growth that develops on the soles of your feet when your skin is infected by the human papillomavirus (HPV). While these painful warts can occur anywhere on your feet, they’re most common on the bottom (plantar side) of the foot.
Anybody can get a plantar wart, but they’re most common in young children, adolescents, and elderly adults.
Are there different types of plantar warts?
There are two main types of plantar warts:
Solitary
A solitary wart is a single wart that develops on the foot. Over time, solitary warts can grow and multiply, forming additional satellite warts.
Mosaic
Mosaic warts are a small cluster of warts that grow in one area. They’re typically more difficult to treat than solitary warts.
What are the symptoms of plantar warts?
Unlike common warts on your fingers, elbows, or knees, a plantar wart can be embedded deep underneath your skin, so you may not realize you have one. The most common symptoms of a plantar wart include:
Thickened skin
In many instances, a plantar wart resembles a callus, thanks to its thick, tough skin.
Small black dots
The tiny black dots on the surface of a wart are actually dried blood contained in the capillaries (small blood vessels).
Pain
Standing and walking when you have a plantar wart often feels painful and uncomfortable. As they grow, your foot pain may worsen.
While a plantar wart may start out small, it can grow deeper into the skin, causing persistent pain and discomfort.
How are plantar warts treated?
To diagnose a plantar wart, your foot and ankle specialist examines your foot for signs of this uncomfortable growth.
A plantar wart can go away on its own, with time, but as it grows and becomes more painful, most patients seek faster relief from their discomfort. The primary plantar wart treatment at Dan Preece, DPM & Darren Groberg, DPM, is bleomycin, a powerful medication that can eliminate warts that have persisted for long periods of time.
Depending on the location and severity of your plantar wart, your podiatrist may put a few drops of bleomycin on top of the wart and prick it to ensure it reaches the growth. Alternatively, they can inject the medicine directly into the wart.
Other less common treatments of plantar warts include:
- Topical medication
- Oral medication
- Cryotherapy (freezing)
- Laser therapy
- Acid treatments
- Surgery
If you think you have a plantar wart, call the team at Dan Preece, DPM & Darren Groberg, DPM, or book a visit online.
