Plantar Warts

Warts are skin growths caused by a virus. They can grow anywhere on your body. There are different kinds of warts, such as plantar warts that grow on the soles of the feet. Most warts go away on their own within months or years.

Warts are spread by direct contact with human papillomavirus (HPV). You can infect yourself again by touching the wart and then touching another part of your body. You can infect another person by sharing towels, razors or other personal items. After contact with HPV, it can take months before you notice a wart.

A wart may be a bump with a rough surface, or it may be flat and smooth. Plantar warts can look like a callus. Warts are usually painless. But a wart that grows in a spot where you put pressure, such as on a finger or the bottom of the foot, can be painful.

A doctor can usually tell if a skin growth is a wart by looking at it. Your doctor may take a sample of the wart if it isn’t clear that the growth is a wart or if the growth is darker than the skin around it, is irregular, bleeds or is large and fast-growing.

Most warts do not need treatment and generally go away on their own. But if you have warts that are painful or spreading, you can treat them with salicylic acid or duct tape. Your doctor can also treat them with medicine, by freezing them or removing them.