Plantars warts?

[laine]

Anyone ever had plantars warts? How did you deal with them? What worked, what didn''t?

I have one bump on the sole of one foot, and a cluster of bumps on the other that I think may be plantars warts (gotta love self-diagnosis on the internet). I''ll certainly go to the doctor if they get any worse, more painful, etc, but for now I''m just watching them/trying to treat them myself.

So far, I''m trying duct tape. It seems to be working on one foot, but not on the other. My BF''s mom recommends a potato, but I haven''t tried that yet. Any other home-remedies out there?

 

[FireGoddess]

Well, my BIL had them and had the bright idea of treating himself - tried to pop one and ended up getting more, as it is caused by a virus (HPV, but not one of the strains that causes cervical cancer) and can be spread by contact with microabrasions on your bare feet. He ended up having them removed by a podiatrist and hasn''t had a problem since. So I recommend seeing a doctor.

I''ve never had PWs so I can''t offer any other personal experience.

 

[diamondfan]

Not to freak you, but they grow INWARD and can leave a crater. My dh had an awful one years ago. Your warts may not be plantars, but regular warts. However, plantars are usually on the foot only, so they could be. I would treat them at the doctors because they are pretty serious in terms of growth. My son has also gotten them a couple times, most likely from the school locker room. The only thing that has worked til now is liquid nitrogen (painful but he has managed fine) at the derm''s office. we then have to wait and see how much gets "killed" and then she looks at it again, scrapes it and sees if it needs more treatment. I just had to take him before sleep away camp. I warned him to please wear flip flops in the shower. They are highly contagious. Warts are viral and they can sometimes be killed if you get the largest one...the rest die off or something...

 

[sumbride]

I got one in college from the showers and my regular doc froze it for me in his office during a physical. It came back so he had to do it again, but the second time killed it and I''ve never had another, knock on wood! The wart was painful but the treatment didn''t hurt. You have to kill it to get rid of it, and Plantars warts don''t really respond to the stuff in drugstores, so save your money. Get thee to a dr.! Liquid nitrogen is your friend!

 

[laine]

Thanks for all the advice. Stuff I had been reading online seemed to imply that plantars warts don''t often respond to treatment, so its good to know that some of you have had them successfully treated by doctors.

I think I''ll try the duct tape thing for another week or so. Its really working on one foot, they''re almost completely gone. If it doesn''t work on the other one, I''ll get in to see the doctor.

If anyone doesn''t know about the duct tape on warts thing, here''s a link. There''sactual medical research that it works!
http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/hmo/index.html

 

[Grace43537]

I''d go to the doctor immediately and have them removed. My husband had 1 plantars wart on the ball of his foot that he tried treating with duct tape and that one turned into about 12. He waited far too long to have them treated professionally and after many in-office procedures ended up having surgery a few weeks ago. His foot had a HUGE crater on it from where the doctor had to laser remove them. OUCH! He was off his feet for about a week and still has trouble walking normally. Personally, I''ve only had one (in high school) and I had it removed as soon as I noticed it. Never had a problem since, which is surprising being that I''m a ballerina.
-Grace

 

[blueroses]

I had them when I was 12 and none of the OTC stuff (compound W, etc.) worked and I finally had to have them lasered off and was in a frankenstein shoe and bandage for weeks which stunk b/c I was going to summer camp and couldn''t go water-skiing until the last day! Blah! Not a fun surgery and I''ve had some nasty scar tissue on my big toe where the biggest wart was (I''m feeling it now as I think about it and this was 20 years ago!) go to a podiatrist NOW!

 

[saturn]

The OTC wart remover products don''t work for everybody, but they did work for me.

FI got them a few years ago too, and I told him to try the OTC stuff. He didn''t listen, and went straight to the doctor. The doc treated him, but it didn''t work, so FI went back for a second attempt which also didn''t work. After all that, the doc suggested that he try the OTC wart remover. It worked. Would''ve saved him several weeks of discomfort and lots of money if he had just taken my advice

.

Anyways, if the duct tape doesn''t work, it''s worth trying the OTC products. If that fails, then go see your doctor.

 

[asscherisme]

My husband had one years ago when we met. He had it frozen off and it kept coming back. Finally they surgically removed it and he had a crator in his foot for a while but now its just a scar (it happenend 13 years ago).

But that was the extreme because he ignored it for years until we met.

 

[tanuki]

Plantar warts are the ones on the thick skin of the sole of the foot. They usually have to be frozen off (the earlier the better). Over the counter stuff won''t get to the root of the wart because the skin of the foot is so thick. What you see is like the tip of the iceberg. That''s why a crater is left sometimes when they finally are taken off. Most general practice doctors freeze them off in their offices regularly. You shouldn''t have to pay a premium for a dermatologist to take one off unless your regular practitioner has taken a shot at it first once or twice with some liquid nitrogen and not had any success getting it to freeze off.

 

[laine]

Its good to know that a regular doctor can hopefully take care of it. I have health insurance but its through my university (I''m a grad student), and I have to go to the school''s health center first. I can see specialists, but its a royal pain, so hopefully they can just take care of it at the health center.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I''ve had one twice in my life and both times it very easily went away with the OTC medicated patches. I''d certainly try that first.