Are Plantar Warts Serious?

You’ve developed some warts on the soles of your feet, and you’re wondering whether they’re cause for concern. The short answer is No — in most cases, plantar warts are nothing to worry about.

Just because plantar warts aren’t cause for concern, however, doesn’t mean they aren’t problematic, especially in terms of comfort.

Among the many podiatry concerns that foot health expert Dr. John Schoppe and the team here at Advanced Ankle & Foot treat, plantar warts are some of the more common. These growths affect about 10% of the general population and the numbers jump to between 10% and 20% among kids.

Behind the plantar warts

If you or your child has plantar warts, they stem from a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. There are more than 100 different strains of HPV, and a few of them are responsible for plantar warts.

Plantar warts are contagious and you get them through direct contact with the right HPV strain, which occurs either skin-to-skin or by sharing items that touch your skin, such as towels or socks. The virus tends to lurk in warm, moist environments, such as locker rooms and public swimming pools, so a common way to get plantar warts is to walk around barefoot in these areas. 

The good news is that the growths are mostly benign, which means they’re not typically associated with cancer.

The bad news is that plantar warts tend to develop on the soles of your feet, especially on the balls of your feet and around your toes. In other words, areas under a lot of pressure and the presence of the warts can make walking or wearing shoes uncomfortable.

Getting rid of plantar warts

Let’s get back to the good news when it comes to plantar warts — we offer a number of different solutions to banish them from your feet.

Depending on the number of warts — you can have just one or a mosaic of warts — we can choose a solution that’s best. These treatments include:

• Cryotherapy — we freeze the wart(s) off
• Laser therapy that targets the blood vessels in the wart to kill it off
• Cauterization in which we burn the wart(s) with a quick electrical current
• Topical ointment that contains cantharidin, which forms a blister under the wart

If these methods don’t work, Dr. Schoppe can resort to a podiatric procedure in which he surgically removes the wart. This is a quick, outpatient procedure, so we use the term surgery lightly here.

We want to emphasize that getting treatment for your plantar warts is important because these growths can be stubborn and uncomfortable when they take hold. With a quick office visit, we can make quick work of your plantar warts, allowing you to walk and wear shoes easily again.

For expert treatment of your plantar warts, we invite you to contact our office in Columbus, Georgia, to schedule an appointment.