The summer is the time for beaches, nice vacations, warm weather, and unfortunately warts on your feet. Every summer Dr. Ruth Treiber sees an influx in these summertime warts, known as plantar warts. These warts tend to show up on the soles of the feet and toes. Plantar warts happen as a result of the human papilomavirus, HPV, which tends to thrive in warm, moist weather. Places like swimming pools, locker rooms, and public showers, which are popular in the summer, are a breeding ground for HPV.
These warts are similar to most, except they exist under the skin’s surface, the wart comes to a black point at the skin’s surface. As time passes plantar warts grow larger under the skin’s surface, and tend to be extremely painful. Plantar warts are the most vigilant type of wart, even after being properly treated they easily return and spread faster than before. Despite this treatment is important, and proper hygiene must be kept up to stifle outbreaks.
Dr. Ruth Treiber and the staff at Treiber Dermatology recommend a few treatment options:
• Cryosurgery. We use liquid nitrogen to freeze the warts off.
• Excision surgery. Using a scalpel or surgical knife we remove the wart from below the skin’s surface.
Dr. Ruth Treiber also recommends using a few methods at home to relieve plantar warts:
• Using duct-tape. Apply duct-tape t the wart and keep it stuck on for 6-7 days. Remove it for 10-12 hours. Then reapply the duct-tape for another week or so. Repeating this process will eventually kill the plantar wart, but it may take a few weeks or even months.
• OTC wart creams using salicylic acid, soak your feet in warm water beforehand so the salicylic acid can absorb into the wart beneath the skin’s surface.