Plantar Warts

What are plantar warts?

Plantar warts are infectious warts that grow on the soles of your feet. This type of wart is much flatter than warts that may grow on your hands or in other parts of the body. Plantar warts appear mainly on the balls or heels of your feet, and because you walk on these areas, they can be quite painful. 

What do plantar warts look like?

Plantar warts often look like corns or calluses. But, plantar warts may also have tiny blood vessels that appear as dark spots. They can be any size, from pinpoint size to an inch wide. They may appear in groups, often overlapping to create clusters called mosaics. 

What causes plantar warts?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes plantar warts. 

The most common way to contract HPV and plantar warts is walking without shoes in damp and warm places. HPV flourishes in such environments, so many cases of plantar warts start in locker rooms, saunas, and public pools. 

Although less common, HPV can spread through shared footwear or towels. You can spread plantar warts from one foot to another if you touch or scratch the warts and then touch the uninfected foot. 

How are plantar warts treated?

At MetroWest Podiatry, Dr. Wascavage uses the state-of-the-art Fotona foot laser for plantar warts and other foot lesions like plantar keratosis (severe calluses). 

The Fotona laser uses specialized Variable Square Pulse (VSP) technology to deliver laser energy deep into the lesion without affecting your surrounding skin. The laser energy disrupts the wart’s blood supply, causing the wart to wither and die in a few weeks. Usually, you need just a few weekly treatments for lasting results.

Fotona treatment destroys all the infected tissue, which removes the HPV from your body so it can’t keep coming back. Studies show that long-pulsed laser treatment, such as Fotona, clears plantar warts more effectively than other methods like cryotherapy. 

How can I prevent plantar warts?

After effectively treating your plantar warts, Dr. Wascavage can help you preserve your clear and smooth feet with some customized preventive care advice. Some basic prevention tips include:

• Don’t walk barefoot
• Wear fresh socks every day
• Clean your shoes regularly
• Scan your feet for changes daily
• Wash and dry your feet daily
• Don’t wear another person’s shoes or socks

HPV spreads very easily, so it’s important to keep up preventive tactics to avoid painful plantar warts in the future. 

If you have plantar warts, MetroWest Podiatry has the solution. Call the office or schedule an appointment online.