Conventional Plantar Warts Treatment

Plantar warts, which are caused by a strain of the human papillomavirus that attacks the balls of the feet, may fade away in due course as the person’s immune system kicks in to defeat the virus. There is no need for a plantar warts treatment. But plantar warts are irritating and may even cause excruciating pain. Instead of waiting for the plantar warts to go away which can take more than two years, many people find it useful to help the body by using a plantar wart treatment. Some of the conventional plantar warts treatments are salicylic acid, duct tape, and cryotherapy.

Salicylic acid is the most accessible plantar warts treatment. Pharmacies display different formulations of plantar warts treatments that contain salicylic acid as the active ingredient. The salicylic acid works by entering the skin tissues, reaching the warts, cutting off the blood supply, and drying up the wart tissues. Salicylic acid is topically applied two times a day on the affected areas until the warts appear like dead skin. This may take a couple of months. The dead skin is then removed by paring it away using an emery board.

Another plantar warts treatment is known as cryotherapy. It involves freezing the plantar warts using liquid nitrogen inside a canister equipped with a spray or applicator. This liquid nitrogen disables the virus and freezes the small blood vessels inside the warts. A blister is formed and the lifeless tissues eventually fall off. Cryotherapy is conducted only by a doctor and the process may involve several trips to the doctor’s clinic for a few weeks. Cryotherapy is relatively effective but there is one downside to this plantar warts treatment. It can sometimes produce unbearable pain. For children with plantar warts, cryotherapy may not be an option.

And still another conventional plantar warts treatment is known as occlusion therapy using the duct tape. The duct tape seems to be an unlikely plantar warts treatment but a research study conducted in 2002 revealed that duct tape is as effective as cryotherapy. The method is quite simple. The plantar warts are covered with duct tape for about six days. On the sixth day, the feet are soaked in water to soften the warts enough so that they can be easily removed by an emery board. The use of duct tape may need to be repeated for a couple of months to completely overcome the plantar warts.

When a person is affected with plantar warts, he or she must remember that it is not a severe skin disease. There are numerous conventional methods of overcoming it.