Warts

Warts can grow anywhere on your body, but when they’re on the bottom of your feet, they can cause severe pain every time you take a step. Without treatment from John Marzano, DPM, at Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine in Yonkers, New York, warts can get large and painful enough to stop you from staying active. Call the office today or use the online booking feature to schedule an appointment and get advanced treatments that effectively eliminate warts.

How do I get warts?

Warts begin when the human papillomavirus (HPV) gets through a small cut or crack in your skin. The immune system usually clears HPV out of your body, but sometimes the virus manages to infiltrate cells and thrive. That’s when a wart develops.

Though there are several types of warts that appear on your body, the warts that grow on the bottom of your foot are called plantar warts. Plantar warts typically appear on the heel or ball of your foot, but they can grow anywhere, including on your toes.

What do plantar warts look like?

Plantar warts resemble small bumps at first. But they grow in clusters and also get fairly large, giving each cluster a bumpy texture. You may also see dark spots or lines in the warts.

These warts can grow inward and go under the surface. If that happens, you may have hard, thickened skin over the area rather than a bumpy growth.

Are plantar warts painful?

Most warts aren’t painful, but plantar warts are different. They can be extremely painful because every time you walk, your weight presses down on the wart, pushing it against the nerves in your foot.

When should I see a podiatrist for warts?

You can see a podiatrist any time your warts become too painful or you want them removed because you don’t like the way they look.

Like all warts, plantar warts may eventually go away on their own. However, that can take years. Most people don’t want to wait that long when they’re in pain.

Even if you’re not in pain, you may choose to have your plantar warts removed because they’re highly contagious. You can spread the virus to other parts of your body and to other people.

How are plantar warts treated?

The Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine team uses time-tested and conventional techniques to treat warts, including topical skin-softening and antiviral medications.

In addition to traditional treatments, the team also specializes in an advanced treatment called Swift® microwave technology. The Swift device safely sends microwave energy directly into the warts. 

The energy heats the tissues, which alerts the immune system to the wart’s presence. Then the immune system attacks and eliminates the wart.

If you need to get rid of plantar warts, call Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine today or request an appointment online.