How to Treat Foot Warts

Written by Dominic Hough on September 15, 2022

Last updated October 1, 2024

Medically reviewed by Dominic Hough, D. Ch.

Warts can occur anywhere on your body. These small, circular growths are a type of skin infection that stand out because of their roughness, slight discolouration, and sometimes even pain. When it comes to your feet, the soles are a common place for warts. This skin condition is known as plantar warts.

Although foot warts are a common occurrence, this condition comes with very treatable solutions. From self-care remedies to visiting a foot specialist, the scale of treatment methods varies based on the persistence level of warts. If you’re looking to avoid plantar warts altogether, learn about what causes them, or how to treat them, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we explore plantar warts, their causes, how to treat foot warts, and finally how to book an appointment with a foot specialist if you have persistent plantar warts.

What are foot warts?

Plantar warts are common viral skin infections that can grow on any place on your foot. Usually the most common area is the bottom of the feet. They start out small, flat and look like a corn, callus or blister. Walking puts pressure on the wart causing a hard layer of skin to build up overtop. Applying pressure to plantar warts (walking, standing, or running) may be uncomfortable, if not painful.

Anyone can get plantar warts. They are not a severe health condition and sometimes go away on their own. However, they are contagious. If they persist, they can grow, spread and cause foot pain when you stand or walk on them.

What causes plantar warts?

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) causes foot warts by infecting the foot’s outer layer of skin. HPVs are a group of more than 200 related viruses. In the case of plantar warts, the strain of HPV causing this foot condition is not severe and varies from the strain that infects the reproductive tract. So, if you think plantar warts and herpes or genital warts are related, don’t worry – they’re not.

The virus can enter the foot by:

A cut or perforation in the skin
If the skin is too dry
If the skin is too wet
If you come into contact with a contaminated surface: Frequenting high-traffic common areas like showers, change rooms, and pool decks increase your likelihood of contracting the HPV that causes warts because the virus spreads more easily in these areas. Wearing sandals or flip-flops will help lessen your chances of catching warts by ensuring your bare feet do not come in contact with the virus that causes them.
Children can be more prone to foot warts in part due to having sweaty feet
As warts are caused by a virus, if you have a weakened immune system then you can be more susceptible to foot warts

Why Are Foot Warts Difficult To Treat?

The wart goes into your body’s skin cells. It uses those cells to manufacture more wart tissue. Your body doesn’t recognise it as foreign invador, as the wart is within your cells. As it grows the foot wart takes up nerves and small blood vessels. You might see black dots within a foot wart. These are called petechiae and are small burst blood vessels – not dirt.

So, what happens when you get plantar warts? Fortunately, there are several treatment options, including DIY methods as well as visiting a foot specialist.

But, please note: If you have low immunity, are prone to infection or have conditions that discourages “DIY treatments” (like Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis) then you need to seek professional help to treat the warts.

It is also worthy to note that regardless of treatment, warts can come back. They are stubborn and usually multiple treatments are required to get the foot warts under control, especially if they are large.

8 Foot Wart Prevention Tips

Regardless of the treatment method you choose, it’s best to follow these practices:

Cover the wart to help prevent it from spreading to either other people or another part of your body
Wash your hands any time you touch the wart – accidentally or intentionally
Do not pick the wart; you can transport it to your fingers
Make sure other members of your household do not have foot warts
Wash down the bath/ shower after each use
Figure out why you caught the wart in the first place. If it’s a weekly swim, then wear footwear around the pool and in the communal showers. If your feet sweat, then try and reduce those sweating factors.
If you are using over the counter treatments then gently dry buff the hard skin of the foot wart. This allows treatment to be more effective. However you should not use that file anywhere else.
Replace the insole of your commonly used footwear so any wart tissue within your shoes is not going to reinfect you. If the insole is not removable, spray the inside of the shoe with a disinfectant spray that kills viruses (like Lysol disinfectant spray).

Sometimes (and rarely), plantar warts will get recognised by the body. It may take some years but they can go away by themselves. If that’s not the case, a foot specialist like a chiropodist can easily (and more quickly) remove plantar warts. There are also different treatments depending on how resistant the wart is to certain methods. For instance, if the wart is not responding to one treatment, a more aggressive treatment may be tried.

Below you’ll find a mix of at-home treatment methods and procedures done by a foot specialist at a local clinic:

Plantar warts treatments

The most effective ways to treat foot warts are classed as either chemical or non chemical treatments.

Chemical

Blister-Inducing Medicine

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Feet First Clinic (@feetfirstclinic_)

A foot specialist can help induce a blister under the wart by applying cantharidin, a type of burn agent. This is applied every 2 to 3 weeks by a chiropodist. The cantharidin forms a blister over the wart, which separates the wart from the skin covering it and brings the wart to the surface. The blister then dries over the next few days and the wart falls off. The treatment is repeated until the wart is fully removed. Although the blister can be painful for a few days after treatment, cantharidin is considered more effective than other, less aggressive treatments – especially if you have stubborn persistent warts that don’t respond to more conservative treatments.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a method by which extreme cold is used to freeze and remove a plantar wart. Depending on the freezing solution, it can affect just the top layers of the wart or it can go down deep. Over the counter freezing solutions are not too strong and typically are only effective for very small and newly formed warts. Strong freezing comes in the form of liquid Nitrogen and is usually done in a clinical setting. It can be sore as it touches some of the nerves within the wart – it is also extremely cold. One of the main side effects is frozen blistering. Usually it goes in a day or two, but if it is sore or the blister persists then you should see your foot specialist.

Like cantharidin, cryotherapy requires repeat treatments every 2-3 weeks in order to be effective. It is not as aggressive as cantharidin, and therefore the wart typically takes longer to go away.

Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid is a topical medication that is applied to the wart. It softens the skin and helps shed layers of skin (and the wart) bit by bit. It is found in many over-the-counter wart removal products, and a chiropodist can prescribe a high-strength salicylic acid topical solution that you can apply regularly at home. The higher the dose of salicylic acid, the better its treatment. You will see it working as the skin will turn white. Sometimes there is a slow build up, and then it rapidly affects the wart. While Salicylic Acid may be less painful than cyrotherapy or cantharidin, it takes much longer to treat the wart.

Salicylic acid can be painful if not properly washed off or managed properly. Your chiropodist will tell you how to properly manage this treatment.

Non-Chemical

Laser Treatment

Laser treatment involves cauterizing blood vessels. Ouch, that sounds intense. But, your medical practitioner will numb your skin first. To be effective, this treatment should be repeated every 2-4 weeks.

Needling

Needling is a simple, but more invasive wart removal procedure with roughly 70% effectiveness. After a local anesthetic is administered, a specialist punctures the wart with a sterile needle about 100 times. This method pushes the HPV away from the surface of the skin and further into your body, where an immune reaction is triggered. If successful, your body’s immune system will do the rest.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Feet First Clinic (@feetfirstclinic_)

Excision

Excision is used for plantar warts that resist other treatments. The foot is first numbed with a local anesthetic. Then, as the name implies, the wart is cut away (or “excised”) from the skin. The base is also cauterized to ensure no living viral tissue is left behind. There is a risk of scarring, so this method isn’t used unless other treatments have failed.

Other “treatments” for foot warts you may have heard about

Duct tape: Duct tape is a common yet relatively unproven method for treating plantar warts (largely because plantar warts can disappear on their own, which makes it difficult to attribute to the treatment method). This DIY method relies on constant use of duct tape and allowing the wart to get so wet and damp that it goes away. Very few people have had success because keeping the duct tape on for such a long time is very difficult. It is also not too hygienic; you’ll dampen the surrounding skin, which can cause other issues.
Banana skins: There are supposedly enzymes within the actual skin of the banana that helps with wart treatments. Again, the success rate is extremely low.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Success rate of this is extremely low.
Salt water bathing: This doesn’t do anything apart from dry your feet out, which will actually make you a more prone to foot warts
Rubbing a coin on the area: This method has been mentioned multiple times in internet forums; supposedly, the wart goes away in 1 day with this method. However, we’ve never seen this work and there is no scientific evidence that it does. For those that claim it does work, then it’s highly likely it wasn’t a wart in the first place.

Not only are the above “treatments” simply ineffective myths, they can waste precious time while your wart grows, spreads and multiples. At the end of the day, the best way to treat plantar warts is to see a foot specialist like a chiropodist at the first sign of any symptoms. The earlier you start treatment, the quicker and more effective it will be.

Schedule a treatment for your plantar warts

Our licensed chiropodists (foot specialists) can help. Use the booking form below or call 416-769-FEET(3338) to schedule an appointment. No referral required.

About Author: Dominic Hough

Dominic Hough is a Chiropodist working at a Family Health Team in Petrolia. Collaborating with a wide variety of health professionals, Dominic keeps prevention care at the forefront of his practice. Dominic is also a content creator for http://www.Jasonera.com that helps small to large businesses optimise their sales funnels to sell more digital products online.

Learn more about Dominic Hough

PrevPrevious The 5 Most Common Causes of Cold and Sweaty Feet

NextNext 5 Causes of Swelling in the Feet

October 14, 2024

The Importance of Regular Foot Check-Ups: What to Expect During a Foot Clinic Visit

There are many at-home and natural remedies for foot pain that work, but there’s no denying the importance of foot exams with a top Toronto chiropodist. Some conditions require foot check-ups throughout the year and your foot clinic visits can make a big difference in not only your comfort levels, but your long-term health. Let’s take at what you can expect at a foot clinic appointment and why you should get your check-ups. What You Can Expect at a Foot Clinic This depends on if you’re visiting your foot clinic for the first time or are following up with a specific service, such as a custom orthotic casting and fitting or a medical pedicure. At Toronto’s Feet First Clinic, your first foot check-up—an initial foot assessment—helps determine your unique needs. It’s your chance to discuss any concerns so your chiropodist can tailor the care to what matters most to you. Many people schedule one if they have persistent foot pain, but you may also do it for diagnostic purposes, footwear recommendations and more. Why Schedule Regular Foot Check-ups? Regular foot care is mandatory if you have diabetes. Studies show that neglecting your feet and failing to visit your foot specialist may lead to infections, ulceration and limb loss. While they sound extreme and scary, chiropody services can help you prevent these problems. Chiropodist visits for diabetes include full examinations (particularly to assess for neuropathy), nail and skin care, wound debridement, and more. Some experts recommend coming in every 4-6 months, but this may be more or less, depending on your condition. Foot check-ups are also a must for anyone with arthritis, circulatory issues, a history of strain injuries like plantar fasciitis, chronic fungal infections, to name a few. They’re especially important as we get older. But really, anyone can benefit from a little foot TLC—whether you're on your feet all day or just looking to prevent future problems, regular check-ups help keep your feet healthy, pain-free, and ready to go wherever life takes you! An annual foot assessment is also a great preventative form of self care, like a wellness check for your feet. You don’t have to wait until you notice symptoms — assessments can catch early signs of the most common foot issues before they become painful.

August 19, 2024

Foot Care for Seniors: Common Issues and Maintenance Strategies

Foot care for seniors is a vital aspect of maintaining overall health and mobility. As we age, our feet undergo changes that can lead to various problems, making it essential to prioritize foot health. This article will explore common foot problems in older adults and offer practical foot care tips for the elderly to help maintain mobility and prevent discomfort as much as possible. Understanding Aging Adults' Foot Health Aging adults' foot health often deteriorates due to factors such as reduced blood circulation, thinning skin, and the natural wear and tear on joints and muscles. These changes can lead to an increased risk of developing foot issues, which can severely impact mobility and quality of life. Common Foot Problems in Older Adults Several common foot problems in older adults can arise as a result of aging: Plantar Fasciitis Decades wearing the wrong shoes for your feet = feeling the damage and heel pain when you get older. Seniors are also vulnerable to plantar fasciitis if they have balance and mobility challenges, as these affect the natural gait pattern. In other words, as older adults struggle with movement, they might walk differently, which can put extra stress on their feet and lead to heel pain. Lastly, poor blood circulation means less ability to recover from “micro injuries,” which is essentially what plantar fasciitis is. Bunions Bothersome bunions affect seniors more than younger adults. The toes spread out more due to natural aging-related foot changes, placing pressure on the wrong areas. Bunions can also tend to form and worsen gradually over time, meaning seniors will feel their full effects. Dry Skin Skin aging doesn't just affect our face; it affects our feet too! As we age, the processes that help our feet stay moisturized, namely the production of natural oils and cell renewal, slow down. This leads to dry, flaky skin on the feet. Dry skin is on the feet is not just a cosmetic concern; it makes the feet more prone to developing many problems like itching, cracked heels, corns and calluses. Corns and Calluses Not only does our skin get dryer as we age, it also gets thinner. This makes the feet more prone to developing corns and calluses. Corns and calluses are caused by friction, and are two of the most common skin problems affecting seniors. When the skin thins, the skin forms calluses and corns more quickly in order to protect itself. This issue is compounded for older adults who have been wearing ill-fitting shoes for years Arthritis Osteoarthritis (also referred to as degenerative joint disease) is a form of arthritis typically associated with aging. It is caused by cumulative wear-and-tear on the joints. Over time, the protective lining around the joints wears down, resulting in excessive rubbing and grinding between joints. Foot Care Tips for the Elderly Foot care for seniors entails a proactive approach. Here are our top tips for maintaining foot health as you age: Regular Foot Inspections and Hygiene Our number-one foot care tip for older adults is to get regular medical pedicures with a chiropodist. This is especially helpful for seniors who have difficulty bending or trimming their own toenails. A licensed Toronto chiropodist can properly trim and file your toenails, remove corns and calluses, and address any other common foot problems in older adults. A foot specialist will also inspect and keep an your feet for any signs of redness, swelling, cuts, or sores that could indicate a worsening skin issue. Our Toronto chiropodists will also provide expert foot care advice for your at-home maintenance. At-Home Foot Care: Moisturizing, Hygiene and Inspections Foot care for seniors should involve moisturizing daily with a foot cream in order to keep the skin on the feet strong and firm. This will also help reduce callus and corn buildup. At-home foot care for seniors also involves practicing good hygiene, including washing feet daily and keeping your toenails trimmed. This is essential to prevent infections and other complications. Proper Footwear and Medical Devices Footwear plays a significant role in senior foot care. Shoes should provide adequate support, have a wide toe box to prevent crowding, and offer cushioning for shock absorption. Orthotic inserts can also be beneficial for those with specific foot conditions or discomfort, especially plantar fasciitis. There are also products like silicone toe separators, bunion aligners, and bunion splints worth trying. Maintaining Foot Mobility and Stability Regular exercise and fall prevention strategies can keep the muscles and joints in the feet strong and flexible. Simple exercises like toe stretches, ankle circles, and calf raises can improve circulation and maintain range of motion. A targeted approach is ideal, and you can memorize foot exercises and stretches designed for your condition or age, such as routines for bunions, arthritis part one and two, plantar fasciitis, and women over 65. Many of these exercises help with more than one condition!

August 15, 2024

Secondary Toenail: What It Is and How to Handle It

Whether they're discoloured, cracked, ingrown, curly, or on the verge of falling off, toenail anatomy can be fragile and our nails can do funny things. A less commonly discussed issue is a secondary toenail. Also known as an accessory toenail or petaloid toenail, a secondary toenail is a sneaky little extra nail twin that grows alongside or beneath the pinky toenail. This abnormal toenail growth can be concerning, so it’s natural to have questions. Signs You Have a Secondary Toenail It’s important to know the difference between an ingrown toenail and an accessory toenail. First, ingrown toenails can grow on any toe, whereas a secondary toenail appears on the fifth, smallest toe. Ingrown toenails are also far more common, and pierce the skin rather than growing alongside the nail. Secondary toenails are thin in nature and often don’t cause pain, infection or swelling like ingrown toenails do (although it is possible). Lastly, ingrown toenails form on the side of the nail unit, whereas secondary toenails grow underneath the proper nail. What Causes a Secondary Toenail? A secondary toenail is a rare phenomenon. It often makes an unexpected appearance after trauma or injury to the nail bed. You may notice your nail growing differently after stubbing or hurting it. Chronic pressure from tight shoes or less-than-perfect nail trimming can also coax this extra nail into existence. Do You Need Surgery For Secondary Toenails? Studies show that the treatment of choice for this extra pinky toenail is an excision, especially if it’s infected. A partial or total nail avulsion from Toronto’s Feet First Clinic may be the solution you need, but you’ll have to schedule a proper foot assessment to determine the best course of action. Treatment of accessory toenails targets the original toenail, not the second one. The second toenail should grow properly after the “main” nail is removed.

August 5, 2024

Foot Care Tips for Diabetic Feet: Protecting Your Feet from Complications

Many people make it through their days without worrying about every little minor cut, scrape, ache or sensation. But for those with diabetes, foot care is a whole different ball game. Foot care for diabetes patients involves around-the-clock vigilance and solid diabetic foot care tips. These can prevent debilitating and life-altering diabetic foot complications, like severe mobility limitations, ulcers and even gangrene and limb loss. Let’s explore how a little goes a long way when it comes to foot health and diabetes. Low-Impact Exercises and Stretches Exercises and stretches that target diabetic neuropathy is one of the best strategies for protecting feet with diabetes. To keep your feet as strong as possible, you need to stimulate blood flow and make sure nutrient-rich blood reaches your lower extremities. This can help wounds heal. Even if you have lost sensation in your feet, your muscles should still function properly enough to do light exercises. Studies show that non-weight bearing and low-impact exercises and stretches can also improve motor score and help patients with activities of daily living (i.e.: basic chores, climbing stairs, etc). To get started, check out the best exercises and stretches for diabetes. Daily Inspections, Foot Hygiene and Nails Preventing foot ulcers in diabetes patients involves frequently examining your own feet. A chiropodist should also do this for you, but more on that later! Look at your feet multiple times per day. Are there any new wounds? Discolouration? Do your feet feel cold to the touch? Do you possibly have a fungal infection? Any abnormality should be noted. Practice top-notch foot hygiene, as well. You can follow this general foot hygiene guide, but please note that diabetes patients are often advised not to cut their own toenails. Schedule Regular Foot Assessments and Foot Care Services At-home tips are great, but the truth is most diabetics need help managing foot issues. If you have diabetes, cutting your own toenails is often a bad idea because vision loss and neuropathy can cause you to not notice if you cut too deeply. Diabetes also affects the eyesight, so you may not notice any developing issues. And since diabetes causes circulation to the feet, these issues cannot properly heal. That's why one of the best services a chiropodist can perform is a medical pedicure that’s specially catered towards diabetes patients. Your chiropodist can also: Give advice on proper foot care. This often means investing in orthopedic footwear. Provide wound care. Assess for diabetic neuropathy — how severe is it? Assess your blood circulation. Inspect for potential ulcers. If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, one of our Toronto chiropodists can perform routine diabetic foot care and diabetic foot assessments to help prevent diabetic foot complications. Click here to learn more about our foot care services for diabetes patients. Additional Diabetic Foot Care Tips Never go barefoot, even at home. Wear house shoes or orthopedic slippers. Being barefoot is too risky for diabetes patients, as if you stub your toe or cut yourself, the wound can't properly heal. Avoid direct heat sources, like a really hot foot bath. It can dry out your skin and make your feet more susceptible to cracking. Consider custom orthotics by learning when you might need them.

June 24, 2024

Yellow Bottoms of the Feet: What it Means

Oh no, yellow feet! This seemingly alarming skin pigmentation is not usually cause for concern and is far more common than you think. Yellow feet commonly present as yellow bottoms of the feet and are usually not an immediate emergency. That said, they should be looked at during a foot assessment as there may be underlying medical causes or dermatological conditions at play. Let’s review the top culprits for yellow skin on the bottom of your feet. Calluses and Corns If the yellow skin on your feet feels hard to the touch and only occurs in certain spots (the whole foot isn’t yellow), you probably just have a lot of thick calluses! Imagine your feet are like well-trodden paths; the more you walk on them without protective footwear, the thicker and tougher they become, forming “callused armour” which often has a yellow hue. One of the most well-known podiatric concerns, calluses can be treated if they become a problem for hygienic reasons and also to prevent them from becoming more painful, infected or ruining your skin’s integrity and strength. Corns can also cause thick, yellow skin. Calluses and corns can be easily removed by a chiropodist using sterilized, medical-grade equipment. Read more about how our chiropodists treat calluses. Hyperkeratosis A dermatological condition called hyperkeratosis causes excessive hard and yellow calluses that can cover the majority of the bottom of your foot. When combined like this they can be a lot worse than solitary calluses and are more likely to crack, bleed, and hurt. Carotenemia You are what you eat! And in this case, you may be eating too many carotene-rich foods (like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins — anything orange!) if the entire bottom of your foot has a mild, yellow hue. The good news? This is harmless. While noticing this effect on the bottom of the feet can be disconcerting, it may also occur on your face, which might have a positive effect on your confidence. Studies show these mild, facial skin changes can contribute to the overall appearance of health and vitality in humans. Pretty cool! Jaundice Jaundice is a serious occurrence that points to a poorly functioning liver, gallbladder or pancreas. Your doctor will help you determine the root cause. A tell-tale sign that you’re experiencing jaundice is if the yellow colour is quite strong, and if the whites of your eyes are also yellow (sclera). If you don’t have any other symptoms outside of mildly yellow feet, it’s unlikely you have jaundice, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! Fungal Infections Athlete’s foot causes flaky and itchy skin clusters around your toes and the ball of the foot. They look red or pink when irritated, but sometimes turn whitish yellow. Don’t try to treat this at home - you might damage your skin and nail health. Seek guidance from your local Toronto foot clinic instead! They can point you towards the right ointments, creams and other treatments. Learn more about treatment and prevention. Anemia This medical condition affects your red blood cells and impairs oxygen flow throughout your body. The entire foot or entire bottom of the foot will have a bright, yet mild, yellow tint. If your feet are cold to the touch in addition to being yellow, you might have anemia.

June 10, 2024

Why Scrapes and Cuts Become Diabetic Ulcers: The Process

Not fully understanding of diabetes complications and the importance of preventative diabetic foot care can be detrimental. Diabetic ulcers (sometimes called diabetic foot) often occur after the onset of diabetic neuropathy, which severely restricts sensation in the feet. Around 40-50% of diabetes patients develop neuropathy; people with type 1 diabetes may develop it years after their diagnosis, while those with type 2 can sometimes already have neuropathy in the pre-diabetes stage. Today, we’ll explore how minor cuts and scrapes, combined with neuropathy, can lead to ulcers and progressively severe issues. But with solid diabetes awareness and preventative measures, serious complications can be easily avoided! How Cuts and Scrapes Turn Into Diabetic Ulcers Here are the five stages between a tiny wound and a full blown diabetic ulcer: Stage 1: Initial Injury A minor injury such as a cut or scrape occurs on the skin — anything from a small burn to stepping on a piece of glass. Foot conditions that open the skin’s barrier can also cause tiny wounds, like blisters, cracked heels, calluses and ingrown toenails. For individuals without diabetes, these usually heal without complications. Stage 2: Diabetes Impairs Circulation and Wound Healing Diabetes and diabetic neuropathy halts the wound healing process, especially if diabetes is uncontrolled. First, high blood sugar levels harm blood vessels and restrict the oxygen-rich blood flow our injuries need for repair. Neuropathy also causes a loss of sensation, meaning you may not even be aware of the cut or scrape. Stage 3: Infection The wound may become red, swollen, and warm, indicating infection. Pus or an unusual discharge might be present. Stage 4: Chronic Wound The cut or scrape evolves into a chronic wound, characterized by persistent inflammation and failure to heal after several weeks. Stage 5: Diabetic Ulcer An ulcer forms as an open red or pink sore that looks “punched out.” It may penetrate deeper layers of skin, extending to muscle or bone in severe cases. Tissue death (necrosis) can also occur, leading to blackened areas around the ulcer. Ulcers can lead to extensive tissue death (gangrene) and bone infections when ignored. What You Can Do to Prevent Diabetic Ulcers Ulcers sound scary, but the good news is that being vigilant about your foot health can help keep your feet ulcer-free. Examine your feet at home every day, keep them clean, and wear protective orthopedic slippers while inside to protect your skin. Lastly, you should regularly visit your chiropodist for inspections and diabetic foot care if you have diabetes; ask them how frequently you should be coming in!

Request an Appointment

Our simple to use, online booking process makes it easy to book an appointment with a chiropodist for any of our services. No referral needed!

Share:

How To Treat Foot Warts: The Causes and Solutions