Getting Rid of Plantar's Warts | Dr. Jason Kaster, D.C. | Fort Myers

Plantar’s warts, as anyone who has had the displeasure of having had them knows, are painful and difficult to rid yourself of.

Plantar’s warts, caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), occur on the sole or toes of the foot. They are contracted by walking on shared moist surfaces such as pools or showers. These small hard bumps embed themselves in the tender flesh of your feet and make themselves right at home. They make footwear painful and walking uncomfortable to unbearable depending on severity.

You will find differing opinions on whether to treat at home or visit the doctor. If you visit the doctor – they may suggest:

Freezing (cryotherapy). Your doctor can apply liquid nitrogen with a spray canister or cotton-tipped applicator to freeze and destroy your wart. The chemical causes a blister to form around your wart, and the dead tissue sloughs off within a week or so. The application itself can be painful, and cryotherapy can result in painful or tender blisters that resolve on their own.

Cantharidin. Your doctor may use Cantharidin — a substance extracted from the blister beetle — on your plantar warts. Typically, the extract is paired with salicylic acid, applied to the plantar wart and covered with a bandage. The initial application is painless, but the subsequent blister that forms can be quite painful. Your doctor clips away the dead part of the wart in about a week.

Immunotherapy. This therapy attempts to harness your body’s immune system to remove tough-to-treat warts. This can be accomplished in a couple of ways. Your doctor may inject your warts with interferon, a medication that boosts your immune system’s instinct to reject warts. Or your doctor may inject your warts with a foreign substance (antigen) that stimulates your immune system. Doctors often use mump antigens, because many people are immunized against mumps. As a result, the antigen sets off an immune reaction that may fight off warts. Interferon treatment may result in flu-like symptoms for a few hours after treatment. Both treatments may cause pain.

Imiquimod (Aldara). This prescription cream applied directly to a wart is an immunotherapy medication that encourages your body to release immune system proteins (cytokines) to attack HPV. This treatment can result in severe inflammation near the site and damage to the tissues beyond the wart. If this occurs, the treatment is dropped. The drug may also result in flu-like symptoms that may lessen with a lower dosage.

Minor surgery. This involves cutting away the wart or destroying the wart by using an electric needle in a process called electro-desiccation and curettage. Your doctor will anesthetize your skin before this procedure. This treatment is avoided if possible with plantar warts because of the risk of scarring.

Laser treatment. A type of laser treatment called pulse dye laser treatment burns closed (cauterizes) tiny blood vessels. The infected tissue eventually dies, and the wart falls off. This treatment can cause pain and scarring.

Garlic Oil and Dig– all natural but not pain-free. Begin by buying garlic oil capsules (liquid), piercing them with a pin and applying the oil to warts and covering over with bandages for a week. This will start to heal as well as soften them.
After a week or so sterilize a set of nail clippers (as they can both cut and pry) and carefully dig out all of the warts. This is not a pain-free process. You need to make sure you get the entire root out, or it will just grow back. You can tell when you have really gotten the whole thing as they have roots almost like a tooth and when extracted it leaves a hole when you pull the full root out, it will bleed a little. Once you have the root out and carefully disposed of (make sure to clean any and all surfaces this may touch as these warts are spreadable.) Squirt garlic oil mixed with raw honey directly in the open hole(s) and cover well with clean sterile bandages. Change bandages daily. From this point, they healed very quickly and never came back.

Bee Propolis – Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. To use – apply this sticky, pasty substance to the wart and allow to dry. You can use a hair dryer to speed the process if desired. Cover with a bandage or gauze and tape.

Apple Cider Vinegar – This method has been used with success by some sufferers of plantar warts.

Simply soak the affected area 20 to 30 minutes per day in Apple Cider Vinegar. Then soak an appropriately sized piece of gauze in ACV and tape to the wart, preferably before bedtime so the bandage remains in place.

Banana Peel

Here’s another home remedy I’ve heard of, but not tried. Take a banana peel and apply it to the plantar wart. If necessary, tape it to the affected area.

Duct Tape – Curing Plantar’s warts with duct tape has been successfully accomplished by many who suffer from these warts. Apply Tea Tree Oil and then cover the wart(s) with duct tape.

Finger Nail Polish – Some people have claimed that by using fingernail polish to smother the plantar wart, it begins to fade away after a time, eventually going away.

Keep checking back for more interesting natural health information! 

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Chiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.