What are warts?
Warts are caused by a viral infection in your skin. The virus enters your skin through direct contact with infected objects, but it won’t spread into your bloodstream.
Warts that develop on the bottom of your foot are known as plantar warts. Your feet are susceptible to warts because they’re often sweaty and moist from wearing shoes and socks.
You can also pick up a virus if you tend to walk barefoot in public locker rooms and around public pools.
What are the symptoms of warts?
Warts appear on the surface of the skin and often have a thick or scaly appearance. You may develop a single wart, or your skin may be affected by a cluster of warts.
In some cases, a wart may be confused with a callus because of their similar appearance. Dr. Shwer can determine if the growth is a wart by squeezing the area. If squeezing causes pain, the growth is most likely a wart.
How are warts treated?
There are several options for treating warts. Generally, you can first try over-the-counter wart removers to eliminate existing warts and improve your comfort. However, if these products aren’t enough to penetrate through the thick area of skin, Dr. Shwer can help.
At Flatlands Foot Care, Dr. Shwer provides several treatment options to address warts. First, she assesses the size of the wart and the severity of your pain to determine how to move forward.
Dr. Shwer often treats a painful wart by freezing the affected skin with liquid nitrogen. This treatment destroys the wart, which eventually falls off. You may also benefit from a different type of procedure where Dr. Shwer uses topical acids to burn the wart.
In some cases, laser surgery may be necessary to burn the wart and destroy its structure when the wart is very large or there is a cluster of warts to be treated.
While these treatments can effectively treat a wart, there is a possibility the wart will return at some point. In this type of situation, Dr. Shwer may opt to surgically remove the wart to reduce your risk factors for new wart growths.
To find out which wart treatment option is right for you, schedule a consultation at Flatlands Foot Care today by calling the office or by requesting an appointment online now.
