Plantar warts are round, rough lesions which are present on the plantar (bottom) of the foot. They are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus, HPV. The virus enters your foot via tiny cuts and begins to replicate. Over time the wart appears as a rough lesion which has black or red dots within the wart. These are the blood vessels that feed the wart. As well, your foot and ankle doctor will look for “loss of skin lines.” Warts interrupt our unique foot skin lines. Warts can also cause pain when ambulating due to increased pressure.
There are multiple treatment options available for warts which include debridement (where your foot doctor shaves down your wart), application of a topical therapy and SWIFT microwave therapy. When you see your foot doctor, they will perform a foot exam and then discuss which treatment options are best for you. Learn more about warts and the state-of-the-art treatment, SWIFT microwave therapy, offered at Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa here: Warts and SWIFT microwave therapy