What Is a Plantar Wart?
A plantar wart is a small growth that forms on the skin of the foot following the entry of a human papillomavirus (HPV) into the body. Just a few millimetres in size, warts under the foot are common, as this area of the body is often in contact with the ground and therefore exposed to contamination.
Their appearance can cause pain if they form at a weight-bearing point on the foot. While most plantar warts disappear after a few months, others can persist for several years and return after healing. It is therefore important both to treat the wart and to prevent the risk of recurrence.
The Different Types of Wart on the Foot
Plantar warts generally form on areas of the foot that are in contact with the ground: the sole, heel and forefoot.
There are therefore two types of wart under the foot:
- The single plantar wart is characterised by a single lesion surrounded by thickened skin (callus), with small blood vessels visible at its centre; it is often painful when walking and may start to bleed;
- Multiple plantar warts form a mosaic of thickened patches on the skin; they are less painful than the single wart.
Plantar warts can sometimes be mistaken for corns or calluses. To recognise a wart under the foot, look for three signs: pain when pinching the wart between two fingers, small blood vessels at the centre of the growth, and the absence of the skin's natural lines on the lesion.
How Can You Treat a Wart Under the Foot?
A plantar wart is not something you simply have to live with, as there are natural solutions, which require patience, as well as more radical treatments to get rid of this unwelcome visitor.
Natural Solutions
Nature offers a wealth of plants with surprising benefits for treating plantar warts. Depending on the plant chosen, the properties and method of use will differ.
These include:
- Castor oil, applied in a thin layer to the wart over several weeks, helps to dry out the growth and make it fall off naturally;
- Lemon, used macerated in white vinegar, offers antiseptic properties to protect the wart from infection and from spreading to other parts of the body;
- Greater celandine is the plant par excellence for treating plantar warts. It is even known as "wart herb". Use its sap for its antimitotic properties (which prevent cell multiplication);
- Cypress, which has immunostimulant and antiviral properties that boost the immune defences against the virus responsible for the wart;
- Thuja, which acts as a virucide and a cytostatic agent (which prevents cell division). Used as a mother tincture, it promotes the disappearance of the wart.
These solutions have the merit of being natural, but require long, consistent treatment. They are not always enough to get rid of a plantar wart on their own.
The URGO Product You Need: URGO Warts, Cryotherapy Treatment
URGO Solutions
Don't panic, we have developed effective, easy-to-use solutions to say goodbye to warts under the foot.
Cryotherapy (cold treatment) has long been recognised for burning the wart at its root and helping it heal completely. This is why we offer URGO Warts, Cryotherapy Treatment, which delivers the right amount of treatment for the size of the wart to freeze it right at its core. It has a transparent applicator to precisely target the lesion.
Some warts are more stubborn than others and persist despite every effort. For these tenacious lodgers, there is URGO Resistant Warts, pen: the power of TCA-Active™ acid in a gel formula, applied with a precision tip. Results guaranteed within the first week! Remember to protect the skin around the wart with a thin layer of Vaseline, as the treatment can cause irritation on healthy skin.
How Can You Prevent a Wart on the Foot?
Most contamination occurs through direct or indirect contact with the virus responsible for plantar warts. And public places are on the front line! To protect yourself, avoid walking barefoot and wear sandals or flip-flops at public swimming pools, in spas and shared baths. Humidity and the number of people using these places encourage contamination, especially if your feet have a cut or blister that provides an ideal entry point for the virus.
Plantar warts thrive on heat and moisture. Be sure to change your socks and shoes every day, and quickly after a sports session. Also look after the hygiene of your feet and body in general. After showering, dry your feet thoroughly with a clean towel to protect them from viruses and bacteria.
Regularly check the health of your feet and those of your children. Some plantar warts can go unnoticed because they don't cause pain, so it's important to keep an eye on the condition of the skin. Stay alert to any changes on your feet, and protect the slightest injury (blister, cut) with a waterproof dressing.
If you already have a wart under the foot, cover it when in a public place. And wash your hands thoroughly after applying your treatment to avoid self-contaminating other parts of your body.
As you'll have gathered, treating a plantar wart effectively takes a little patience, and above all the right tools. Your feet do you a great service, carrying you every day — return the favour by looking after them!
To find out more about warts, watch our fact-checking video answering common misconceptions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClWX9uM_4WoFXP2_ZWd-WsQ
