Plantar Warts
Warts can be thought of as a small growth on the skin that are caused by coming into direct contact with a common virus that is found in the environment. They typically present on the bottom of the feet and can present in a variety of ways including single lesions, multiple lesions, lesions of varying sizes, colors, and overall texture. This skin will appear thickened like a callus and sometime it is possible to distinguish tiny black dots within the lesion. They can become painful on walking as well as squeezing the lesion and they will typically increase in size over time. They are contagious between individuals and can easily spread between family members in areas of barefoot walking, such as in the shower, the bathroom, and common areas like a pool. Once patients’ come into contact with plantar warts, they can be very difficult to eliminate.
Unfortunately, warts can be very difficult to treat in some patients and as they can go at great lengths to permanently eradicate the lesions. As the wart may seem to penetrate very deep into the foot, the actual lesion resides in the outer most layer of the skin, where the immune system does not acknowledge a foreign presence. As the body’s immune system remains unaware of the presence of the warty lesion, it will not bolster an immune response to attempt to rid the body of the virus. This is why it can be very troublesome and difficult to clear up the lesion. Folk remedies such as using duct tape on the lesion became popular as the adhesive within the tape caused a skin irritation. It is theorized that this skin reaction / irritation eventually would elicit an immune response to fight of the virus and wart!
Da Vinci Foot & Ankle is proud to offer Laser Therapy with the Cutera Xeo Laser as a treatment for plantar warts. This minor procedure is done in our Greensboro office and is very successful at eradicating the lesion(s) permanently. Read More about Laser Treatments: Wart Removal.
You don’t have to live with pain. Da Vinci Foot and Ankle can help!