Warts are a result of the most common viral infection of the skin. Plantar warts grow on the plantar surface, or the sole, of the foot. They can be found anywhere in this area but tend to produce symptoms in areas of pressure and friction. Plantar warts can be extremely painful. Plantar warts can sometimes be misdiagnosed as a corn or even a splinter.
How do you get plantar warts?
Plantar warts are hard, flat warts that are usually found on the soles of the feet. These can feel rough to the touch and can cause some pain and discomfort. Warts are caused by a virus and transferred through contact on wet surfaces such as change rooms and swimming pools where another person with the virus has walked.
Like all viruses, warts can be hard to treat and may require several rounds of topical treatments. There are several over-the-counter treatments but these do not work all of the time. Werribee Foot Clinic has found the most effective plantar wart treatment is to use a product called Cantharone Plus. We have been using this treatment for more than 10 years with great success. The solution is applied and washed off 4 hours later with a blister possibly occurring after 24-48 hours. A bandaid may be worn for a few days. A review is then scheduled for three weeks. Depending on the size of the wart and how long it has been present will depend on the number of treatments required. 4-6 treatments is normal. We do not recommend pulling out plantar warts with tweezers as this tends to encourage growth of the virus.
