What are plantar warts?
Plantar warts are harmless skin growths. They usually occur on the bottom of your feet. Plantar warts may be painful when you walk. Most plantar warts don't need treatment. They usually go away on their own in months or years.
What are the symptoms of plantar warts?
Plantar warts usually look like calluses on the bottom of the foot. They can be painful when you walk or stand, and may make it feel like you're walking on a pebble.
How are warts diagnosed?
A doctor usually can tell if a skin growth is a wart by looking at it. Your doctor may take a sample of the wart if it isn't clear that the growth is a wart or if the growth is darker than the skin around it, is irregular, bleeds, or is large and fast-growing.
How are plantar warts treated?
Most plantar warts don't need treatment. But if your plantar warts cause pain or if they spread, your doctor may suggest that you use an over-the-counter treatment or prescribe a stronger medicine. Your doctor may also remove your warts through surgery or by freezing them.
How can you care for plantar warts?
- Use salicylic acid or duct tape as your doctor directs. You put the medicine or the tape on a wart for a while and then file down the dead skin on the wart. You use the salicylic acid treatment for 2 to 3 months or the tape for 1 to 2 months.
- If your doctor prescribes medicine to put on warts, use it exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you think you are having a problem with your medicine.
- Wear comfortable shoes and socks. Avoid high heels or shoes that put a lot of pressure on your foot.
- Pad the wart with doughnut-shaped felt or a moleskin patch. You can buy these at a drugstore. Put the pad around the plantar wart so that it relieves pressure on the wart. You also can place pads or cushions in your shoes to make walking more comfortable.
- Take an over-the-counter medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve) if you have pain. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
- Do not take two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to. Many pain medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be harmful.
Plantar warts in teens: When to call
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
- You have signs of infection, such as:
- Increased pain, swelling, warmth, or redness.
- Red streaks leading from a wart.
- Pus draining from a wart.
- A fever.
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
- You do not get better as expected.
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