![foot wart]()
Do you have a wart on your foot? Fear not, because you have some options when it comes to treatment! Plantar warts can certainly be distressing for aesthetic reasons, and they might also be painful depending on how big they are and where they happen to be located. In either case, most people prefer to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Below, you’ll find four common treatment options, listed from least to most aggressive.
Option 1: Do Nothing
If the wart isn’t causing you any pain or your loved ones any distress, you do have the option of simply ignoring it. Although it may take months or even years, warts do usually go away on their own in time. We don’t recommend this option, because it does increase the risk that warts will spread to other parts of your feet, or even your hands. But because warts are generally harmless in a medical sense, it’s your call.
Option 2: Try a Home Remedy or Over-The-Counter Wart Treatment
To be honest, this option is probably the worst of the lot, since success rates aren’t much higher than option 1
and you run the risk of actually hurting yourself. Most of the home remedies we’ve heard about (the “duct tape” method, for example) are not really any more effective than doing nothing. Some of the over-the-counter kits (for example, those that include peeling medication) might produce slightly better results, but they still fail most of the time. Plus, you run the risk of damaging healthy skin surrounding the wart.
Option 3: Prescription Medications
This is the option we’re probably going to recommend for most folks. You come down to our office, and we can apply strong peeling medications, as well as ointments that disrupt the wart’s growth. It may take a couple of sessions spaced out over a few weeks, but this regimen is strong enough to eliminate most foot warts within a reasonable timeframe.
Option 4: Excision
For the biggest, baddest, toughest warts—the ones that stand up even to option 3 above—the best solution might be to simply have a doctor cut the wart out. It has the advantage of providing an instant solution, but because it’s more invasive there’s a greater risk of scarring or infection. At our office, we use laser cauterization for the excision process, which is safer and less likely to scar than using more traditional tools. If you’re sick of that wart and ready to do something about it, take a step forward and give Southern Oregon Foot & Ankle a call at (541) 776-3338.
Do you have a wart on your foot? Fear not, because you have some options when it comes to treatment! Plantar warts can certainly be distressing for aesthetic reasons, and they might also be painful depending on how big they are and where they happen to be located. In either case, most people prefer to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Below, you’ll find four common treatment options, listed from least to most aggressive.