Foot warts
, also known as plantar warts or Verruca Plantaris, are noncancerous, contagious growths that are usually spotted growing individually or in clusters on the sole or bottom of the foot. Foot warts can cause pain while walking and using the feet, and in general are caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are four main methods for getting rid of foot warts. This guide will discuss each of them.
Instructions
1. Utilize topical medications. Medications like salicylic acid are prescribed by podiatrists and are commonly used to treat foot warts. Multiple salicylic acid treatments are needed to properly remove the foot warts and destroy the infected tissue on the foot. This type of acid also aids in the production of healthy tissue. Many over the counter medications are on the market that also treat foot warts. However, these medications should only be used after discussing them with your doctor, as they can cause further skin damage.
2. Undergo laser treatments. Laser treatment for warts is very similar to laser treatment used on other skin growths such as moles. Carbon dioxide cautery is administered by a podiatrist, and the procedure can produce minimal scarring.
3. Remove the foot warts via freezing treatments like cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is a very popular method used to treat foot warts. The warts are introduced to an extremely cold environment and destroyed, causing the warts to fall off in a matter of days. This type of treatment is useful because it affects the HPV virus responsible for the warts. However, many times cryotherapy is ineffective because the treatment does not completely destroy the virus, which can regenerate and produce more warts.
4. Have the warts surgically removed. Also known as debridement, this type of treatment is seen as a last resort method used on foot warts. Although debridement can destroy the HPV virus responsible for producing the warts, it can also cause physical scarring on the foot. Debridement is often combined with acid to eradicate the warts.
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