How to Get Rid of Plantar Warts (Verrucas)

Warts are small and thick benign growths on the skin that are caused by human papillomavirus or HPV. Plantar warts occur on the bottom of the foot, which makes them very uncomfortable to walk on — it feels like there is a stone in your shoe. They are often on the area of your feet that experiences the most pressure, which may drive the wart to grow flat but deeper under the skin. Most of the time plantar warts do not require the care or treatment of a physician. Following a few simple steps at home you can treat the warts you have and prevent more from occurring.

EditSteps

EditTreating Plantar Warts at Home

1. Recognize the limits of home remedies. Although treatments at home are effective, they will usually take many months to be effective. If you want your warts to disappear faster, it’s best to seek the care of your doctor. Permanent eradication may still take a long time, even when warts are treated by a doctor.
   
   • Plantar warts will often disappear on their own and will not leave a scar; however, this can take several months to happen. The warts may be painful and it will be difficult to walk in the meantime.^[1]
2. Prepare your plantar wart before treatment. Soften the top of the wart by soaking your foot in warm water for several minutes. Then take the excess skin off the top with a pumice stone or nail file. Be sure that you don’t use this stone or file for anything else, ever, as you can transfer the virus to other areas of the body.
   
   • Removing the top layer of dead skin will help the product to go deeper into the wart.
3. Try a salicylic acid treatment. There are a variety of topical (on the skin) over-the-counter products, such as Compound W, that treat plantar warts using salicylic acid. ^[2] Treatments come as liquid, gel or patches. Follow the directions on the package to successfully remove your plantar wart.
   
   • Salicylic acid treatments are not painful but it can take several weeks for full results to appear.
4. Try duct tape.^[3] Duct tape should be cut to the size of the wart and placed over the top of it for up to six days. On the seventh day, remove the tape, soak the foot for five minutes in warm water to soften the dead skin on the top, and then use a pumice stone or nail file to buff off the top layers of the wart. Replace the duct tape for another six days.
   
   • Do not use the pumice stone or nail file for any other purpose.
   • This process can take several weeks to see results.
   • It is not known why this process is thought to work, but many have good results using this method.
5. Investigate home freezing compounds.^[4] The freezing process works to close off the blood supply to the wart. There are over-the-counter medications you can use at home to freeze the wart, including Compound W Freeze Off and Dr. Scholl’s Freeze Away. Follow the directions on the product you are using.
   
   • Freezing at home will be uncomfortable and some will consider it painful. A doctor can use a local anesthetic to freeze the wart deeper.
6. Determine if it’s time for a physician’s care. While plantar warts are often treated successfully at home, there are times when you may need treatment from your physician.^[5] Visit your doctor if any of these complications occur:
   
   • If the wart does not go away after treatment or if it appears to go away but returns quickly.
   • If the wart grows larger quickly or appears to cluster. In this case it may be a Mosaic wart.
   • If the wart starts bleeding or you have more pain after treatment.
   • The area becomes red, swollen, or starts draining pus. This indicates that the area has become infected.
   • If you are a diabetic, have peripheral vascular disease or coronary artery disease. If you suffer from these medical conditions it is important that you do not treat your plantar warts at home but get them treated from a podiatrist who will monitor your peripheral vascular supply to the feet. These conditions increase the risk of infection or tissue death because of poor blood supply.

EditHaving a Doctor Treat Your Plantar Warts

1. Talk with your doctor about stronger acid peels. Salicylic acids sold over-the-counter are peeling agents used to reduce the size of the wart. When home treatments are not effective, your physician can use stronger acid peels including bichloracetic acid or trichloroacetic acid.^[6]
   
   • These treatments require several return visits and you may be asked to use salicylic acid between doctor treatments.
2. Discuss cryotherapy with your doctor.^[7] Similar to using a freezing compound at home, cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart tissue. After the treatment, a blister forms, heals, and then falls off, taking with it all or part of the wart.
   
   • This option is painful and not generally used on young children. Your physician may use a local anesthetic depending upon the size of the area being treated.
   • Cryotherapy can require several sessions with your doctor for full effectiveness.
3. Talk with you physician about laser treatments.^[8] There are two laser procedures used for wart removal. In the the first, the laser cuts the growth away from the skin and in the other, the laser cauterizes the blood vessels that feed the wart, killing it.
   
   • Laser surgery can be painful and may require a more longer time period for healing. It is done on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia.
4. Discuss the use of immunotherapy with your doctor.^[9] In this process, the doctor will use an intralesional injection of antigens into the wart. In other words, they inject toxins into the wart that stimulate your immune system to fight the virus.
   
   • This treatment is reserved for warts that are stubborn or have been very resistant to other treatment modalities.
5. Discuss surgical options if your wart has not responded to other types of treatments.^[10] Podiatrists may choose to use a technique that involves cutting away the wart. The doctor uses electric needles to kill the tissue around the wart and entirely remove the wart. The process can be painful and often results in scar tissue; however, it is effective and often has successful long-term results.
   
   • NEVER try to cut away a wart at home. This can lead to bleeding and infection when it isn’t done with the proper tools and in a sterile environment.

EditIdentifying and Preventing Plantar Warts

1. Figure out if you are at risk of acquiring plantar warts. The wart is the result of exposure to human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 120 different strains of HPV, only five to six of which are responsible for plantar warts.^[11] The virus is caught through exposure to skin scales that are infected by the virus.^[12]
   
   • Athletes who shower in common areas are at higher risk due to the increased number of people who use an area, usually without protection over the feet. For instance, swimmers, both indoor and outdoor during the summer months, are at increased risk if they use communal showers and tiled areas around the pool; however, this includes all individuals who use a gym area locker room, shower cubicles, or hot tub areas where people normally walk barefoot.
   • Individuals who have cracked or peeling skin on the feet give the virus good entry into the body. Also, individuals whose feet remain moist or sweaty throughout the day will have an increased risk as the skin breaks down from overexposure to moisture increasing the risk the virus can gain entry to the body.
   • Individuals who have had plantar warts once are at higher risk for having them again.^[13] For instance, individuals who pick at a wart can spread the virus more easily to other parts of the body.
   • Individuals who have a compromised immune system from illnesses such as mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus, cancer, cancer treatments used for individuals with psoriatic arthritis, or individuals with HIV or AIDS.^[14]
2. Look at the area you suspect is a plantar wart. It should be a small area of skin that is hard and flat with a rough surface and defined boundaries. Although a plantar wart may start out looking like a callus, warts are caused by an infection. There are two ways the plantar wart may infect your foot: either as a solitary wart or as a cluster, called mosaic plantar warts.^[15]
   
   • A solitary or single wart will increase in size and may eventually multiply into several solitary warts that are satellites of the original wart.
   • Mosaic plantar warts are a cluster of warts without clear skin between them. They are not satellites of each other, but rather grow very closely together and appear to be one rather large wart. Mosaic warts are more difficult to treat than solitary warts.
3. Assess secondary symptoms. Is the area painful? While plantar warts may look like calluses on the bottom of the feet, they are painful when standing and are painful when they are squeezed.^[16]
   
   • Look for black specks inside the thickened skin. These are often called wart “seeds” but are actually small clotted blood vessels inside the wart.^[17]
4. Watch for spreading. Warts are contagious between people and on your own body. Three small plantar warts on the bottom of your foot can quickly spread to 10 satellite warts, making the situation more difficult to treat.
   
   • As with most medical conditions, the earlier you find a wart and start treatment the easier it is to experience successful results.
5. Prevent another infection of plantar warts. After treatment and resolution you are more at risk for another infection with HPV, which causes plantar warts. To begin with, wear flip flops or other waterproof shoes in public areas, showers, locker rooms, saunas, pools and hot tubs. Also, keep your feet clean and dry. Change your socks daily and use a foot powder if your feet are sweaty.
   
   • Use coconut oil on your feet in the evening before bed to prevent cracked and peeling skin. Use a pair of clean socks after applying a dime size amount of coconut oil to each foot.
6. Avoid spreading your warts to others. Do not scratch or pick at a wart you already have. This can spread it to other parts of your body or to others.
   
   • Do not touch other people’s warts and do not wear socks or shoes that belong to other people.
   • Wear flip flops or other waterproof shoes in the shower at home when you have warts to prevent the spread to other family members.
   • Keep clothing, towels and socks off the floor of public locker room and pool areas.

EditTips

• Change your socks daily and keep your feet clean and dry to both prevent recurrence and during treatment of plantar warts.
• Use flip flops or other types of waterproof shoes in public locker rooms, showers, and around the outside of pool areas, saunas, and hot tubs.

EditWarnings

• Never try to cut out a plantar wart at home. It can result in bleeding and infection.
• You can’t get warts from touching frogs or toads.^[18]
• If you have diabetes, coronary artery disease, or peripheral vascular disease have your plantar warts treated by a podiatrist, who is a doctor that specializes in the feet.^[19]

EditRelated wikiHows

• Freeze a Wart With Liquid Nitrogen
• Get Rid of a Wart at the Bottom of Your Foot
• Remove a Wart Using Epsom Salts or Daffodils
• Remove a Birthmark with Apple Cider Vinegar

EditSources and Citations

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