Plantar Wart Treatment That Works

What You Need To Know

Understanding plantar warts, their symptoms, and when to see a podiatrist.

Understanding Plantar Warts

“Plantar” means “of the sole” in Latin. Unlike other types of warts, plantar warts are typically quite painful, as the pressure from walking and standing forces them to grow into your skin. Like all warts, plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), specifically types 1, 2, 4, 60, and 63. Underneath the skin, the wart can have finger-like roots that reach down and grow, making them difficult to treat from the surface.

Plantar warts are small lesions that usually appear on the heels or other weight-bearing areas of your feet. The virus enters your body through tiny cuts, breaks, or other weak spots on the bottom of your feet. Although plantar warts aren’t a serious health concern, they can become painful, and if ignored they tend to spread and multiply on the feet.

Common symptoms to look out for include:

– A small, fleshy, rough lesion at the base of the toes, forefoot, or heel – Pinpoint black dots within the lesion – Pain when the wart is pinched from side to side – The feeling of “painful pebbles” in your shoes – A circular flat spot with a depressed area in the middle – Lesions that appear yellowed with a crust

It’s important to visit a podiatrist if you suspect you have a plantar wart. The longer you wait, the more likely the wart is to persist, spread, or multiply. If a lesion is painful, bleeding, changing color, or not responding to over-the-counter treatments, give one of our offices a call so we can evaluate it and start you on the right treatment plan.

Swift Wart Treatment Technology

We at Weil Foot and Ankle Institute are pleased to offer an effective treatment for surface-based skin lesions, primarily warts. Swift is an FDA-cleared technology that has proven highly effective in the removal of plantar warts. It delivers low dose microwave energy through a specialized probe that targets the underlying HPV virus by stimulating a natural immune response in the body. We like to say that we’re addressing the root cause, not the symptom.

Because Swift harnesses the patient’s immune system to target the root cause of the wart, efficacy is significantly higher compared to other treatment methods.

The Swift protocol involves 3 to 4 treatments, spaced 4 weeks apart, aligning with the body’s natural immune cycle. Each treatment lasts only 5 to 10 minutes and is what we call a “sock off, sock on” treatment: limited debridement, no breaking of the skin, and no bandages. No home treatment is required between visits.

While pain is variable and patient and lesion specific, most patients feel some discomfort as infected tissue temperatures are rapidly elevated over a two-second dose of energy. The feeling is similar to a small scratch or injection, lasting only a few seconds before subsiding. Post-procedural pain is very limited, and some patients report an immediate reduction in pain levels.

All patients are able to resume day-to-day activities immediately following treatment. If you would like to explore Swift treatment, book an appointment and one of our specialists will be happy to help.