Warts Specialist
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Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic
Podiatrists & Foot and Ankle Surgeons located in Normal, IL & Pontiac, IL
About 14% of Americans develop plantar warts every year. These hard and flat growths usually develop on the soles of your feet, and they can make bearing weight a miserable experience. At Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic, the dedicated podiatry team, including Craig Cortese, DPM, FACFAS, Steve Yeschek, DPM, and Carl Cortese, BS, DPM, FACFAS, prescribes powerful treatments that destroy the virus causing the warts. Call either of the offices in Normal and Pontiac, Illinois, or click on the online appointment tool.
Warts Q & A
What are plantar warts?
Plantar warts are flat, hard growths that usually grow on the weight-bearing parts of your foot, including the ball of your foot and your heel.
Often, plantar warts are quite painful when you stand or walk. Plantar warts are most common in childhood and particularly common in teenagers, but adults can develop this condition, too.
What do plantar warts look like?
Unlike most other warts, plantar warts don't tend to have a prominent bump. Other warts that can appear elsewhere on your feet are generally fleshier and bumpier, while plantar warts may more closely resemble calluses. Sometimes, plantar warts look sponge-like.
Plantar warts can have black, red, or brown dots, which are burst blood vessels. Calluses cause long lines across rough patches of dead skin, while plantar warts may feature a lot of interrupted lines across your skin.
Usually, plantar warts hurt when you squeeze and shift them, while calluses may only hurt with hard direct pressure.
What causes plantar warts?
The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes plantar warts. Usually, you acquire the virus when you walk barefoot in a public place, such as a locker room or pool.
The HPV virus is most likely to appear in damp and warm environments. HPV is highly transmissible, so even the tiniest scrape, cut, or puncture on your bare foot is potentially enough to contract the virus.
How do you cure plantar warts?
Treatment depends on your symptoms and how widespread the warts are. Your podiatrist may prescribe a wart-removal remedy, which you use at home with your podiatrist’s guidance.
In most cases, a simple in-office laser surgery is the best solution. Your podiatrist can administer local anesthesia and then vaporize the warts. Laser surgery safely removes only the infected skin without risking your healthy skin around it.
Never try to remove warts on your own. You can easily remove too much skin and create an open wound with a high risk of infection.
It takes a highly-trained eye and superior surgical skill to precisely remove the infected tissue fully without causing damage or scarring — and that’s why it’s so important to call the podiatry care specialists at Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic.
Book your appointment by calling Cortese Foot & Ankle Clinic or clicking on the online scheduler today.