Removal Of Plantar Warts - Helpful Tips And Information

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that develop on the soles of people’s feet. This sometimes painful growth is caused by human papillomavirus, which gets into the body from cuts and breaks in the skin. And while it is most commonly found on the heels or balls of your feet, there are a number of options when it comes to the removal of plantar warts.

While no one enjoys hearing the word surgery as an option, this is a quick and effective route to take for removal of plantar warts.

You will find there are a few different surgical methods available with none being that much more effective than the other. For this reason, typically doctors will start with whatever will cause the least amount of scarring.

Cryotherapy is an alternative solution as doctors take liquid nitrogen and essentially freeze the wart. The liquid nitrogen is applied directly onto the wart using a spray-tip or cotton-tip. The downside to this is that it can be quite painful and there is no guarantee that it will work 100 percent. However, it can work rather quickly if it is successful.

Another option is repeated and extended applications of salicylic acid. This is sold in drug stores and works simply by softening the callus that is over the wart thus exposing the virus. You will need to apply the acid at night and rub the whitened skin off the next morning. Then, during the day you will apply a pad over the wart for cushioning and pain relief.

Many doctors like to use cantharidin for removal of plantar warts.

This is sometimes used in conjunction with salicylic acid. The upside to this is that it is painless, but it will cause the skin under the wart to blister. As it lifts the wart off of the skin, the doctor can then clip away the dead part after a week.

Some doctors are reluctant to use this method as it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

If you are searching for cheap methods to remove plantar warts, one treatment is called hyperthermic. All you need is warm water and a small tube to soak your feet. As you soak your feet in hot water, it can relieve the pressure caused by the infection and can heal the lesion in about six weeks. You will need to soak your feet for 90 minutes per day.

As you can see, there are a number of options to consider for the removal of plantar warts. What you will find is not one is guaranteed to work outside of surgery. But if surgery is not something you want to consider, there are alternatives to look into.