How do I get rid of this Wart?
Working as a Podiatrist warts are one of the most difficult and frustrating conditions to treat both for my clients and I.
Warts are sometimes unresponsive to some treatments for some people and extremely responsive to the same treatments for others.
The good news is that we have a wide variety of treatment options available.
Below I will explain what are warts and my top 3 treatment options to finally get rid of your wart!
Warts can be very painful
What actually are Warts?
Plantar warts are growths on the soles of your feet caused by the Human Papillomavirus.
The virus enters your body through a small cut and embed's itself into your skin.
They can grow bigger and also spread through contact to different areas of your body.
They can become especially painful as the wart grows if they are on pressure areas of your feet.
Warts are often hard to treat as the virus is clever at hiding from your own bodies immune system, therefore a lot of the targeted treatments attempt to “wake up” your immune system.
Treatment 1: Swift
Swift therapy is the most effective and latest technology available for the treatment of warts with an 83% resolution rate.
Swift uses focused Microwave therapy to cause “heat shock” to the wart tissue.
This causes the Wart to release certain proteins into the blood which allows the body to recognise the virus to fight it.
The only downside to Swift treatment is that it is quite painful however the pain only lasts for the duration of treatment which is usually 2 second applications for a total of 5-10 applications.
Treatment 2: Salicylic Acid
This is currently the most commonly used treatment by Podiatrists for treating plantar warts.
It involves debridement of the wart followed by an application of a small amount of Salicylic Acid.
You will have to keep the area dry for 3 days after treatment, which is one of the major downsides with this treatment.
Salicylic acid treatment for warts has varied success with some warts responding extremely well and others not so much.
This treatment needs to be repeated every 2 weeks until the wart has resolved.
Treatment 3: Needling Procedure
The dry needling procedure is a surgical procedure done in clinic under local anaesthetic.
It works by using a sterile needle to obliterate the wart which can also cause an immune response.
It is an effective procedure however it does require paddings after to offload the area and a couple of days off your feet.
So What's Best for Me?
That question is best answered by your Podiatrist who will assess your wart and give you the best advice on how to finally get rid of your wart.
Alex Taylor
Podiatrist at Complete Podiatry