Plantar Warts

Plantar warts are small, noncancerous growths that commonly occur on the weight-bearing portions of the feet. If you have plantar warts on your foot, treatment is just a phone call away. Our experts are both physicians and surgeons and therefore, can put their extensive training towards the task of healing your plantar warts. Learn more about what our services have to offer and schedule an appointment with Foot and Ankle Specialists of Central PA today.

Foot wart

Understanding the Basics

Plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus is very common and has more than 100 variations. When HPV infects the skin on the soles of your feet, plantar warts can develop. This commonly occurs when people with cuts or skin breaks on their feet walk barefoot in public locker rooms, swimming pools, and similar areas. The signs and symptoms of plantar warts include:

  • A small, fleshy growth beneath your foot
  • Hard, thick callus over a spot on your skin
  • Gray, brown, or yellow coloring
  • Black pinpoints, also known as wart seeds
  • Pain or tenderness while standing or walking

Not everyone who is infected with HPV will develop warts, and the HPV strains that cause them aren’t very contagious. However, children and teens are more likely to develop them than others, as well as people with weakened immune systems.

Advanced Treatment You Can Trust

If left untreated, plantar warts can grow large and even spread into clusters called mosaic warts. In very severe cases, they can alter your gait or posture, causing leg or back pain. To prevent these and other complications from occurring, the professionals at Foot and Ankle Specialists of Central PA might recommend one of the following advanced, clinically backed treatment methods:

  • Strong peeling medicine: For less severe cases, salicylic acid is used to gradually remove plantar warts layer by layer. They can also stimulate an immune response in your body, helping it fight the wart off.
  • Freezing medicine (i.e., cryotherapy): This method uses liquid nitrogen to kill off a section of your skin. After about a week, the dead skin will fall off, leaving you wart free.
  • Immune therapy: This method uses medicine to stimulate your immune system to fight off plantar warts.
  • Vaccination: Although the HPV vaccine does not specifically target the strains that cause plantar warts, it can successfully treat certain cases.
  • Laser treatment: Pulsed-dye lasers heat tiny blood vessels in your plantar wart, killing the tissue and eventually causing it to fall off.
  • Minor surgery: If other treatments have been tried and failed, plantar warts can be removed with an electric needle.

To ensure that you are satisfied, our team will work with you to develop a treatment plan that meets your individual needs. If your treatment carries the potential for discomfort, our team may recommend MLS laser therapy to help alleviate your pain, reduce your swelling, and speed up your healing.

Plantar Wart Treatment

Contact Us Today

At Foot and Ankle Specialists of Central PA, we offer a variety of services to help you maintain optimal foot and ankle health throughout your lifetime. As our past and current patients can testify, our team prioritizes your satisfaction above all else. To experience the high-quality foot and ankle care that can cure your plantar warts or other conditions, contact us to schedule an appointment.

All in all, everyone and everything was perfect with me for me. Dr. Lauren, such a wonderful person. My visit with her have been successful and just great. I will recommend her/the practice to others. Look forward to my next visit.”

Laurie M.

The office is really beautiful and clean. Very caring staff and Dr. Clarke took time to explain things to me. The doctor and staff really tried to get to the cause of my feet and ankle pain. They found the problem and the solution. He kept me relaxed even though I was going to get injections for pain and inflammation.

I highly recommend this office. FANTASTIC!!

Rita M.

“Prompt, attentive, and knowledgeable are the three best adjectives to describe my visit. I can’t wait to start running again, and I know that will be possible from the care I’m receiving from Dr. Leonard.”

Dayna L.