Plantar Wart on Ball of Foot - Causes and Remedies

What is a plantar wart?

Plantar wart is the type of wart that develops on ball or sole of foot. Due to consistent standing, walking, and running, plantar wart gets forced inside the skin which causes it to grow inwards. This further causes calluses as the body tries to prevent the spread of the wart. Overall plantar warts may end up causing more pain and discomfort as compared to other types of warts.

Photo by Jan Romero on Unsplash

Causes

Just like other types of warts, plantar warts are also caused by HPV or human papillomavirus. Since the virus is contagious, you may end up developing a wart if you came in direct or indirect contact with the virus. Places such as public swimming pools, saunas, public showers, and gyms are the most common ones where you could come in contact with the virus. Walking barefoot in your yoga or MMA class may also result in plantar warts.

With age, most people develop immunity towards the virus which makes them less susceptible to it. Which is why warts are more common in children as compared to adults. The only exception could be if you happen to have an underlying condition that weakens your immune system such as HIV. In that case you may end up developing warts at any age.

Prevention

• Avoid walking barefoot
• Shoes and socks should be changed daily
• Feet should be kept clean and dry
• Check your children's feet often as they're more susceptible to warts
• Do not touch the wart of any person
• If you see any unusual growths on the foot, consult your podiatrist as soon as you can

Remedies

In a lot of the cases, plantar warts end up going away on their own. This may take several months or even years. Most people prefer to get the warts removed quickly because they can look unpleasing or can cause discomfort. Not only that, they may even end up spreading to other areas if not treated.

Professional removal can be done by your podiatrist through surgery, cryotherapy, or elecrocautery. This may require several trips to the doctor's office depending on size and number of warts that are needed to be removed.

Prescription topical medications include salicylic acid. Sure it can be bought over the counter as well but the concentration might not be strong enough to kill the wart. Which is why your doctor might prescribe a higher concentration.

Although there are countless options for home remedies but you may end up spending more time and money doing trial and error. Electrocautery is one of the proven ways to remove warts. You can perform this method right from the comfort of your home with Aven Buzz Wart Remover Pen.