Plantar Warts

What is a wart? A wart is something that can infect your skin causing a growth on your skin when the skin is infected by a virus. Warts can develop anywhere on the skin, but develop most frequently on the bottom of the foot. Plantar warts can develop on anyone, but most frequently occur in children. 

There are two different kinds of warts:

• Solitary warts – This is a single wart that can increase in size and may form additional satellite warts.
• Mosaic warts – These are a cluster or several small warts growing closely together in one area. They are also more difficult to treat than solitary warts

Plantar warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV virus). The virus buries deep into your skin and grows there.

Symptoms of a plantar wart may include:

• Pain – Putting weight on your feet may become painful. 
• Thickened skin – Warts often resemble calluses because they cause skin to thicken.
• Tiny black dots – These occur on the surface of the warts and actually are dried blood in capillaries. 

Conservative Treatment Options

Warts are difficult to treat, but they can be treated!

It is important to see a physician if you think you may have a wart because the HPV virus buries itself into the deeper layers of skin. Warts are better treated when the deeper layers of skin are exposed first, so that medication can actually penetrate the virus. 

Warts can be treated with medication, laser therapy, cryotherapy or surgery. 

Surgical Treatment Options

If conservative treatment doesn’t work, the wart can also be surgically removed.

If you think you have a wart, call 847-380-3700 for an appointment today!