Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths on the soles of your feet most often occurring on the heels or balls of your feet. Most plantar warts aren’t a serious medical concern, but they can be annoying and painful at times. They can also be resistant to treatment sometimes, necessitating a trip to the doctor to have the wart removed.
Home remedies:
There are various home remedies that can be used to treat plantar warts:
· Nonprescription wart medications and patches that contain salicylic acid.
· Freezing (cryotherapy) products.
· “Duct tape therapy.”
Since you mentioned the idea of suffocating your plantar wart, FX will explain a little more about “duct tape therapy.” This home method of treating plantar warts involves covering the wart for 6 days with duct tape, then soaking the warts in water, and the gently rubbing the warts with an emery board or pumice stone. This process is sometimes repeated for up to 2 months, but can be effective in treating warts.
To find out which, if any, of these home remedies would be appropriate for you, check in with your doctor, a podiatrist, or adolescent medicine specialist. To get more detailed information on these methods, read the Mayo Clinic webpage Lifestyle and home remedies for plantar warts.
Treatments and drugs provided by your doctor:
Home treatments are generally sufficient in curing plantar warts, however, if home treatment is not helping your doctor may recommend freezing, minor surgery, laser surgery, or other medical treatments. To learn more about treatments that would be performed by your doctor (if necessary), read the Mayo Clinic webpage Treatments and drugs for plantar warts.
Preventing plantar warts:
To reduce your risk of plantar warts in the future, keep some important prevention tips in mind, such as not going barefoot in public places and not picking at warts to help prevent spreading the virus.
If you don't have a doctor and live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973-971-6475 for an appointment with an adolescent medicine specialist or contact your local teen health center. You can also contact your insurance company for a list of in-network providers.