Plantar Warts

Does Your Foot Look Like This?

If so, you may have one or more plantar warts.

With Laser Wart Removal, the wait for an effective wart treatment is over.

Don't waste time with smelly creams that don't work or procedures that damage the tissue surrounding your wart(s).

The podiatrists at Northwest Surgical Specialists are certified in the use of lasers for painless, non-invasive wart removal.

Call one of our conveniently located offices for a free initial consultation to learn about this truly revolutionary treatment. more...

A wart is a small growth on the skin that develops when the skin is infected by a virus. Warts can develop anywhere on the foot, but typically they appear on the bottom (plantar side) of the foot. Plantar warts most commonly occur in children, adolescents, and the elderly.

There are two types of plantar warts:

A solitary wart which often increases in size and may eventually multiply, forming additional “satellite” warts.
Mosaic warts are a cluster of several small warts growing closely together in one area.

Mosaic warts are generally more difficult to treat than solitary warts given the larger area of treatment.

Symptoms
Symptoms of warts on the bottom of the foot may include:

Thickened skin. Often a plantar wart resembles a callus because of its tough, thick tissue.
Pain. A plantar wart usually hurts during walking and standing, and there is pain when the sides of the wart are squeezed.
Tiny black dots. These often appear on the surface of the wart. The dots are actually dried blood contained in the infected capillaries (tiny blood vessels).

Plantar warts grow deep into the skin. This growth generally occurs gradually as the wart starts off small and gets larger over time.

Causes
Plantar warts are caused by direct contact with the human papilloma virus (HPV). This is the same virus that causes warts on other areas of the body. Typically, the virus that causes plantar warts is acquired in public places where people go barefoot, such as locker rooms, swimming pools, and martial arts classes. It can also be acquired at home if other family members have the virus.

Treatment
Although plantar warts may eventually clear up on their own, most patients desire faster relief.

Common treatments include topical or oral treatments, laser therapy, cryotherapy (freezing), or surgery to remove the wart.

Physicians at Northwest Surgical Specialists are certified experts in the use of laser treatments for the removal of plantar warts, which provides a non-invasive, painless solution to plantar warts with a very low recurrence rate.

Regardless of the treatment approaches undertaken, it is important that the patient follow the surgeon’s instructions, including all home care and medication that has been prescribed, as well as follow-up visits with the surgeon. Warts may return, requiring further treatment.

If there is no response to treatment, further diagnostic evaluation may be necessary. In such cases, the specialist can perform a biopsy to rule out other potential causes for the growth.

Although there are many folk remedies for warts, patients should be aware that these remain unproven and may be dangerous. Patients should never try to remove a wart themselves as this can do more harm than good.

We Can Help
The podiatrists at Northwest Surgical Specialists are leaders in both conservative and surgical treatment of all nail disorders. For additional information, please contact one of our three convenient locations to arrange a consultation.

Hoffman Estates

Northwest Surgical Specialists
3100 W. Higgins Rd., Ste. 150
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
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Foot & Ankle Care
Pain Management
Physical Therapy
Therapeutic Massage
Skin Care
Surgical Care Center

847.885.9525

Elgin

Summit Green Medical Center
431 Summit Street, Suite 102
Elgin, IL 60120
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Foot & Ankle Care
Physical Therapy

847.697.4500

Mt. Prospect

Metrodocs, S.C.
431 Lakeview Court, Suite D
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
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Foot & Ankle Care

847.296.3040