Plantar warts are warts that mainly affect the pressure points of the foot. Medical professionals recommend most measures (even aggressive) to remove them. Plantar warts, if left untreated can cause pain, difficulty walking and even the spread of the virus that causes them. Certain strains of HPV are the cause of plantar warts, and are very contagious. The virus can live for months without a machine that makes it extremely easy to contract.Now what? While there is currently no vaccine for the virus that causes plantar warts, there are some options for treatment and disposal of their own warts. These treatments may in fact send the virus into remission, and significantly reduce the risk of spread of warts. While many opt for a natural remedy and less expensive, your doctor can help with one of the following treatments: Cryosurgery: Cryosurgery is one of the most popular techniques for removing warts. It is freezing the wart, mostly through the application of liquid nitrogen. This is not primarily an expensive procedure, but several treatments may be needed.HIGH FREQUENCY: This procedure involves the use of a tail (a medical instrument that has been electrified or heated strongly). A local anesthetic is applied to the area surrounding the wart. Pain during the procedure is minimal and relatively moderate later. Chemical application: This is a very simple procedure where the doctor will apply a high-strength acid to the wart. Salicylic acid is the most common, but cantharidin or dichloracetic acids are also used. This is also a method which can take several visits to your doctor. 5-fluorouracil 5-fluorouracil is actually an anti-cancer drug. It is an acid, but some doctors treat the warts with this substance very similar to the application of other chemicals. Bleomycin: Bleomycin is also an anti-cancer agent. It is used to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma, testicular cancer and plantar warts. Not used in any type of wart. This again is a treatment option much more aggressive than many others, and is primarily a last resort.Laser hair removal: Laser hair removal is beautiful or less what we imagine from the name, the removal by laser. This is an effective treatment, but more painful and costly than expected and is mostly reserved for warts that are affected by less intensive methods. Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy Also called biologic therapy is the introduction of lab grown biological response modifiers (BRM) to the infected person. BRM are produced in small quantities by the body naturally when an infection or disease is present. Doctors use the addition of large amounts of BRM to induce an immune response. This treatment is quite new.Surgical excision: Surgical removal is only used in extreme cases it can leave a painful scar and common warts return in the scar tissue.Why are so many options? The above list is just the beginning. In fact, many treatments are recommended for removing warts. The truth is that everyone is trying to induce the same thing: The recognition of body proteins of the wart virus and the creation of an adequate immune response. That treatment is more effective for you depends on your specific immune system. It seems prudent to treat less invasive treatments and least expensive first. Many people opt for natural remedies to prevent the pain, expense and time of medical procedures. When choosing this type of wart removal, make sure you're getting the information from a reliable source. If treatment is effective, should not be difficult to see first-hand testimonies and photos before and after.
Dr. Mark T Senft demonstrates the surgical excision of a plantar wart with the method of silver nitrate and phenol. Most patients will have a 70-80% nonreocurrance rate with this method.