How to Get Rid of Plantar Warts (Verrucas)
Recognize the limits of home remedies., Prepare your plantar wart before treatment., Try a salicylic acid treatment., Try duct tape.Duct tape should be cut to the size of the wart and placed over the top of it for up to six days., Investigate home...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Recognize the limits of home remedies.
Although treatments at home are effective, they will usually take many months to be effective.
If you want your warts to disappear faster, it’s best to seek the care of your doctor.
Permanent eradication may still take a long time, even when warts are treated by a doctor.
Plantar warts will often disappear on their own and will not leave a scar; however, this can take several months to happen.
The warts may be painful and it will be difficult to walk in the meantime. -
Step 2: Prepare your plantar wart before treatment.
Soften the top of the wart by soaking your foot in warm water for several minutes.
Then take the excess skin off the top with a pumice stone or nail file.
Be sure that you don’t use this stone or file for anything else, ever, as you can transfer the virus to other areas of the body.
Removing the top layer of dead skin will help the product to go deeper into the wart. , There are a variety of topical (on the skin) over-the-counter products, such as Compound W, that treat plantar warts using salicylic acid.
Treatments come as liquid, gel or patches.
Follow the directions on the package to successfully remove your plantar wart.
Salicylic acid treatments are not painful but it can take several weeks for full results to appear. , On the seventh day, remove the tape, soak the foot for five minutes in warm water to soften the dead skin on the top, and then use a pumice stone or nail file to buff off the top layers of the wart.
Replace the duct tape for another six days.
Do not use the pumice stone or nail file for any other purpose.
This process can take several weeks to see results.
It is not known why this process is thought to work, but many have good results using this method. , The freezing process works to close off the blood supply to the wart.
There are over-the-counter medications you can use at home to freeze the wart, including Compound W Freeze Off and Dr.
Scholl’s Freeze Away.
Follow the directions on the product you are using.
Freezing at home will be uncomfortable and some will consider it painful.
A doctor can use a local anesthetic to freeze the wart deeper. , While plantar warts are often treated successfully at home, there are times when you may need treatment from your physician.Visit your doctor if any of these complications occur:
If the wart does not go away after treatment or if it appears to go away but returns quickly.
If the wart grows larger quickly or appears to cluster.
In this case it may be a Mosaic wart.
If the wart starts bleeding or you have more pain after treatment.
The area becomes red, swollen, or starts draining pus.
This indicates that the area has become infected.
If you are a diabetic, have peripheral vascular disease or coronary artery disease.
If you suffer from these medical conditions it is important that you do not treat your plantar warts at home but get them treated from a podiatrist who will monitor your peripheral vascular supply to the feet.
These conditions increase the risk of infection or tissue death because of poor blood supply. -
Step 3: Try a salicylic acid treatment.
-
Step 4: Try duct tape.Duct tape should be cut to the size of the wart and placed over the top of it for up to six days.
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Step 5: Investigate home freezing compounds.
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Step 6: Determine if it’s time for a physician’s care.
Detailed Guide
Although treatments at home are effective, they will usually take many months to be effective.
If you want your warts to disappear faster, it’s best to seek the care of your doctor.
Permanent eradication may still take a long time, even when warts are treated by a doctor.
Plantar warts will often disappear on their own and will not leave a scar; however, this can take several months to happen.
The warts may be painful and it will be difficult to walk in the meantime.
Soften the top of the wart by soaking your foot in warm water for several minutes.
Then take the excess skin off the top with a pumice stone or nail file.
Be sure that you don’t use this stone or file for anything else, ever, as you can transfer the virus to other areas of the body.
Removing the top layer of dead skin will help the product to go deeper into the wart. , There are a variety of topical (on the skin) over-the-counter products, such as Compound W, that treat plantar warts using salicylic acid.
Treatments come as liquid, gel or patches.
Follow the directions on the package to successfully remove your plantar wart.
Salicylic acid treatments are not painful but it can take several weeks for full results to appear. , On the seventh day, remove the tape, soak the foot for five minutes in warm water to soften the dead skin on the top, and then use a pumice stone or nail file to buff off the top layers of the wart.
Replace the duct tape for another six days.
Do not use the pumice stone or nail file for any other purpose.
This process can take several weeks to see results.
It is not known why this process is thought to work, but many have good results using this method. , The freezing process works to close off the blood supply to the wart.
There are over-the-counter medications you can use at home to freeze the wart, including Compound W Freeze Off and Dr.
Scholl’s Freeze Away.
Follow the directions on the product you are using.
Freezing at home will be uncomfortable and some will consider it painful.
A doctor can use a local anesthetic to freeze the wart deeper. , While plantar warts are often treated successfully at home, there are times when you may need treatment from your physician.Visit your doctor if any of these complications occur:
If the wart does not go away after treatment or if it appears to go away but returns quickly.
If the wart grows larger quickly or appears to cluster.
In this case it may be a Mosaic wart.
If the wart starts bleeding or you have more pain after treatment.
The area becomes red, swollen, or starts draining pus.
This indicates that the area has become infected.
If you are a diabetic, have peripheral vascular disease or coronary artery disease.
If you suffer from these medical conditions it is important that you do not treat your plantar warts at home but get them treated from a podiatrist who will monitor your peripheral vascular supply to the feet.
These conditions increase the risk of infection or tissue death because of poor blood supply.
About the Author
Patricia Armstrong
Enthusiastic about teaching pet care techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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