Why You Shouldn't Remove a Plantar Wart Yourself

As foot and ankle specialists, the team at Hudson Valley Foot Associates sees our share of warts, mostly those growing on the soles of your feet, called plantar warts. Caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), these rough bumps can be inconvenient, uncomfortable, or downright painful. 

While warts on other parts of your body can be removed at home, plantar warts are a different category. We recommend booking an appointment with our podiatrists for the safe removal of these often troublesome warts. 

This is particularly important if you’re a diabetic with foot neuropathy or any condition that affects the blood vessels or nerves of your feet and lower legs. 

Signs of plantar warts

You may first notice a plantar wart as a small growth on the sole of your foot, usually where your skin has the most contact with the ground, such as the ball of the foot or heel, or sometimes between your toes. 

The skin around and over a plantar wart may feel rough or callused, and you could see tiny, dark dots, called wart seeds. These are formed by blood vessels that have clotted near the skin. 

Plantar warts may interrupt the normal lines along the sole, and sometimes they form in clusters called mosaic warts. 

When a plantar wart becomes a problem, you’ll feel tenderness, discomfort, or pain. Some warts will bleed. 

Plantar warts are contagious

You can spread the HPV strain responsible for your plantar warts through contact or sharing things like socks, shoes, washcloths, or towels. HPV can also survive on damp, warm surfaces. 

It’s even possible to spread your own infection by touching a plantar wart and spreading the virus to another part of your body. Wash your hands frequently, particularly after touching your feet. 

Why you shouldn’t remove a plantar wart yourself

Much of a plantar wart may remain under the surface, so the true size of the wart is often larger than the evidence you see on the surface. The pressure of bearing your body weight presses these foot warts deeper than those formed elsewhere on your body. 

Without complete removal, a plantar wart can grow back. Since the wart penetrates deeper, complete removal is harder, and it may be painful to attempt it yourself. 

Wounds on your feet are another reason to leave plantar wart removal to the professionals. Foot wounds have a higher risk of infection due to the everyday foot environment in socks and shoes. Even barefoot, you’re more at risk of infection by direct contact with pathogens. 

Peripheral neuropathy can impair your ability to feel normal sensations. A foot wound can become more complex without you being aware of it. 

Reduced blood flow is common in the feet and ankles as you get older or when you have a condition that affects normal flow. Wounds can be slower to heal, or they may not heal at all without medical care. 

Warts for Kingston, New Windsor, Wappingers Falls, Hudson, and West Coxsackie, NY

The potential for problems after plantar wart removal is high. Ease your risk by letting the specialists at Hudson Valley Foot Associates, with seven convenient locations, perform a professional wart removal procedure. 

Call or click to request an appointment today.