Plantar Wart

[Debbie88]

I have a history of plantar warts and treatments on my bottom left foot (top middle).   I now have one beginning on my bottom right foot (top middle).  Honestly, who is the best specialist for this?  A number of specialists treat plantar warts.  I have always seen a dermatologist.  However, I wonder if a podiatrist is a better Dr. for this ailment.  I did everything in the past including laser surgery and still have them reocurring on my left foot.  They don't hurt anymore there; however, the wart on my right foot is very painful now.  Who should I see this time? Thank you!

[helper771]

Maybe you should ask your doctor about this, if it works you shouldn't have any more problems with these warts because this medicine raises your immune system to fight the virus. Plantar Warts are not fun, but this is what I did and it worked for me... I had never had any expierence with these warts and as such when my foot started hurting, I ignored it, but soon it became difficult to walk. I play basketball and found my foot in pain every time I played. I went to a foot doctor and was told I had a plantar wart. He told me about the different approaches (cut it out, freeze it, lazer it) but I knew all these things would precede to have a few weeks recovery time, so he said I could try Dr. Scholes (these were a joke) I found myself back to the foot doctors a few months later with a much bigger wart. So I took the next step and got it cut out (OUCH!) which is susposedely more reliable than freezing. Months went by and the hole on the bottem of my little toe finally filled in. For a few weeks I thought it had worked, but soon that same toe began hurting worse. I went back to the doctor and was astonished he said, "it came back with a fury," now I had five new warts covering the bottem of that little toe. He sent me to a specialist and she wanted to lazer them off, but told me I would be left basically with no little toe for some time. The first expierience of cutting it out was painful enough, I didn't want to go through something like that again. She then told me about the injections (ugh more pain). I was to the point I would almost do anything to be rid of them. I had to pull out of her another option, an immune responce cream. There were two steps, first cream I put on for a week, my whole toe turned white, and I peeled away all this skin (this hurts but the more you reveal the warts, the better chance you have). Then the next cream was the treatment, I was to apply this every night with duck tape (I found myself waking up in the middle of the night with my toe throbbing so bad I couldnt sleep, this means its working).I also took vitamin C,E, and beta carotine every day to booste my immune system. I did this for months and soon they shrank and turned pink and eventually dissapeared. It has been a year and no more plantar warts, the good thing about this stuff is, my body fought the warts off itself, now I have immunity to the warts as opposed to cutting, freezing, and lazering. THe key is to keep the skin off and the wart exposed to the medicine which is hard. I would find myself sitting for hours in pain as I forced myself to get rid of the skin around it. I even used a driminal tool and actually sanded at it, sometimes it bled, but this is what it takes. I hope this helps, I know how terrible those can be.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

One risk factor for plantar warts is walking barefoot in public places such as locker rooms, pools, or shower areas. Tight, closely fitting shoes can also create a breeding ground for warts. If a plantar wart causes difficulty walking, see a doctor. In the case of a plantar wart, a doctor needs to distinguish between corns, calluses, and warts. Usually, a physician can diagnose a plantar wart by its appearance, but if necessary, he or she can scrape the skin and send the sample to a lab for inspection.

Plantar warts are one of six main categories of warts. There are many forms of treatment for plantar and other warts. Some warts, including plantar warts, disappear without treatment. Home treatments include salicylic acid and tape occlusion. A doctor can also prescribe prescription or over-the-counter medications to help heal plantar warts.

A physician can also use an electrical current to burn a wart or laser surgery. Cryotherapy involves using a freezing liquid to dissolve a wart. Surgery is normally not used for plantar warts because it may result in painful scarring.

To prevent plantar warts, frequently change socks and shoes to keep feet dry. Keep feet clean. Also, avoid contact with warts on other parts of the body or on other persons. Visit your doctor if you notice any growths or unusual conditions on your skin.

Regards.

[Amanda0922]

I'm sorry, I don't have any answers for you. I just wanted to say I know what you're going through. I also had plantar warts at one point, more than one on the bottom of each of my feet. I know how painful they are and how frustrating it is to have them, esp the large ones. I had them for many many months and never saw a doctor because I didn't have insurance. I would remove them myself and if they grew back, I'd remove them again. Eventually, they stopped recurring thankfully. I do know that they are caused by a strain of hpv, so maybe taking a couple extra steps to boost your immune system could help?
Good luck :)