Treating Plantar Warts – Finding Solutions that Work
Plantar warts are something many people will experience at least once in their lifetime. If you have already had this unfortunate experience, you understand just how pesky, bothersome, and stubborn this condition can be.
When it comes to getting rid of plantar warts, there is no end to the potential home remedies that people are willing to try. But do they work?
Most of the time, no.
Home remedies for plantar warts simply do not have enough research behind them to verify how effective they really are. Many times, what people say worked for them is only what they were trying when the warts finally went away on their own – and that can take a very long time to happen.
Home remedies can lead to additional issues: irritation, infections, scar tissue, and many other problems that can make plantar warts worse than before these remedies were attempted.
Professional treatment is always your best bet for getting rid of plantar warts. At InStride Crystal Coast Podiatry, we have helped many patients eliminate their warts more quickly, effectively, and safely than home remedies, and we strive to keep treatments from interfering with your activities as much as possible.
Not All Plantar Warts are Treated the Same
Plantar wart treatment should not take a “cookie cutter” approach. Not everyone will benefit best from the same form of treatment, and not all cases require the same methods to be effectively resolved.
So, before we make any recommendations for wart treatment, we need to fully evaluate the situation and consider the following questions:
- Where exactly are the warts on the feet? Are they in a weight bearing or non- weight bearing location?
- How widespread are the warts? Are they presenting in large clusters or as isolated lesions?
- How long have they been present?
- How large are they?
- Do you, as a patient, have any unique needs that might influence how we approach treatment?
Once we have a better understanding of the case at hand, we can then offer our best recommendations for treatment.
What might such a recommendation look like? Let’s look at the following example case.
One Plantar Wart Treatment Plan
Let’s say our patient is an adolescent on a sports team. They want to get rid of their warts but would naturally prefer avoiding any treatment that might interfere with their activities.
In this situation, if the condition and severity of the warts make it reasonable, we would debride the warts and apply Salinocaine under occlusion.
Salinocaine is a topical treatment that combines salicylic acid and Benzocaine. The acid is for attacking the wart tissue and the virus within them. The Benzocaine is a local anesthetic for comfort.
This in-office treatment would be kept on and dry for two to three days. Upon removal, the patient would begin the application of Vircin twice a day until returning to the office in two weeks for a second application of Salinocaine.
Vircin is a combination of salicylic acid, povidone iodine, and an immunomodulant. The purpose of Vircin is to trigger an immune response within the body to focus on eradicating the wart-causing virus and keep it from coming back.
This combination treatment usually takes 6-8 weeks to resolve the warts. It typically does not hurt or interfere with a patient’s activity level. If the warts are not improving as we hoped they would, we may adjust the plan or need to consider surgical options instead.
Treating Mosaic Warts
Mosaic plantar warts may require an entirely different treatment approach.
The mosaic variety of plantar warts tend to appear in clusters. They are densely populated “wart colonies” with more of a tendency to sprawl and spread, covering larger areas.
Mosaic warts can be more difficult to treat because of their tendency to spread and the sheer strength in numbers of these densely populated areas.
For mosaic warts – depending on our evaluation – we may recommend the use of a drying agent followed by the application of Vircin twice a day. More direct or advanced forms of treatment might be necessary, however, if we are not seeing results or if it is clear from the start that these agents would more than likely not be effective.
Find Effective Solutions for Your Plantar Wart Problems
Plantar warts can take a very long time to disappear on their own – and within that time, they have a greater opportunity to spread further across one’s own body and even hop over onto others.
We can not only help you find a faster and more effective solution for your warts, we can take the guesswork out of home remedies, and also help you avoid recurring infections and other skin and nail problems in the future. The sooner we can start, the faster you can get back to clear and comfortable skin.
Schedule an appointment with us by calling our New Bern office or by filling out our online contact form. We’ll be happy to see you.