Plantar Warts
As the name suggests, plantar warts occur most commonly on the bottom of the foot. As this area of the foot is exposed to high levels of pressure, the warts tend to grow into the skin rather than on top of it like on areas of the rest of the body. Plantar warts come in many different
shapes and sizes and it is possible to have multiple lesions at the one time. It is also common for the wart to be covered by callous.
Plantar warts are often confused with corns as they have a similar appearance, however you will find that most plantar warts have a small black dot in the middle and are painful when squeezed from the sides. The skin striations are usually altered with a wart.
Sometimes plantar warts will resolve by themselves without any treatment. If the wart becomes painful or is growing in size then we suggest that you have it treated.
Active Podiatry offers a variety of different options when it comes to the treatment of plantar warts, including dry ice, acid therapy and a needling therapy which can be particularly helpful when there are more than one lesion.
Do you have a stubborn plantar wart that is NOT responding to treatment techniques such as cryotherapy or acid based therapy? If the answer is YES, the below treatment option may be worth considering.
Our Podiatrist @ Active Podiatry have been successfully treating warts using Faulkner's Needling Technique and are excited at the resolution rate for all varieties of plantar warts, including both mosaic and single lesions. Cunningham et al 2014 conducted a recent Australian Randomized control comparing needling with cryotherapy and found the needling a plantar wart caused resolution in 64.7% of cases versus 6.7% in the cryotherapy group.
shapes and sizes and it is possible to have multiple lesions at the one time. It is also common for the wart to be covered by callous.
Plantar warts are often confused with corns as they have a similar appearance, however you will find that most plantar warts have a small black dot in the middle and are painful when squeezed from the sides. The skin striations are usually altered with a wart.
Sometimes plantar warts will resolve by themselves without any treatment. If the wart becomes painful or is growing in size then we suggest that you have it treated.
Active Podiatry offers a variety of different options when it comes to the treatment of plantar warts, including dry ice, acid therapy and a needling therapy which can be particularly helpful when there are more than one lesion.
Do you have a stubborn plantar wart that is NOT responding to treatment techniques such as cryotherapy or acid based therapy? If the answer is YES, the below treatment option may be worth considering.
Our Podiatrist @ Active Podiatry have been successfully treating warts using Faulkner's Needling Technique and are excited at the resolution rate for all varieties of plantar warts, including both mosaic and single lesions. Cunningham et al 2014 conducted a recent Australian Randomized control comparing needling with cryotherapy and found the needling a plantar wart caused resolution in 64.7% of cases versus 6.7% in the cryotherapy group.
What is the Needling Technique?
How Does It Work?
When can it be used?
- The plantar wart is infiltrated locally with 2% Xylocaine
- Multiple needling (at least 80 times) the plantar wart using a 27 gauge needle. The amount of needling is dependent on the size of the plantar wart.
- Minimal bleeding or pain is experienced following the procedure. A dry dressing and felt padding is applied to help take pressure off the plantar wart. This is left intact and dry for 4-7 days and the patient is reviewed after 2-weeks.
- There is low risk of infection. The procedure can be performed on both children and adults.
- Paracetamol may be required but mild discomfort usually only lasts for 24 hours. Ibuprofen is recommended against as we want to create a local inflammatory response.
How Does It Work?
- This technique is thought to create local inflammation and a subsequent cell mediated immune response against human papillomavirus.
- If successful the plantar wart usually clears up within 12-weeks. In resistant cases a 2nd or 3rd needling session may be required.
When can it be used?
- This technique can be used as a first line treatment or following failed liquid nitrogen/acid treatments.
- Used on single plantar warts, plantar warts with satellite lesions or even the mosaic variety.
- If there are multiple plantar warts, the “mother” wart or largest lesions is usually only needled. Sensitization of the immune system occurs to human papillomavirus antigen, resulting in an immune response against all plantar warts in the vicinity. Therefore if the main plantar wart is needled the other plantar warts will generally clear up as well.
