What is the best way to get rid of planters warts? Learn about effective plantar wart treatments like duct tape, liquid nitrogen, yeast injection, pulsed dye laser, and bleomycin. Discover the truth about the plantar wart duct tape “hack” and how it works. Get expert advice on treating plantar warts in kids.

Plantar Warts and Duct Tape: What You Should Know

Believe it or not, duct tape was originally described by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics as a treatment for plantar warts on the feet. It works by stripping away the top layer of the wart and suffocating the aerobic virus, which needs air to survive. Another way duct tape works is in conjunction with medication by “revving up” the medication you’re putting on the wart because of improved penetration into the skin.

How long does it take to kill a wart with duct tape? It may never go away completely with duct tape alone. Occasionally, it takes more professional treatment options to get rid of a plantar wart. However, many report that it can take up to two months to get rid of a wart using the duct tape method.

Plantar Wart Treatments

Sometimes, duct tape on plantar warts doesn’t work. In those instances, we have plenty of treatment options for plantar warts.

Liquid Nitrogen for Plantar Warts

The most commonly used treatment is liquid nitrogen to bring the wart down to -50 degrees Celsius, and then immediately rewarm the skin. It gets really cold —like putting your tongue on a flagpole in the winter — the quick transition from freezing to room temperature causes viral particles to lyse (explode). This treatment may cause a small blister afterwards, as the wart bubbles-up and falls off. It takes an average of three sessions to make most warts completely disappear. We space these treatments two weeks apart.

Yeast Injection for Plantar Warts

There are many other therapies for wart removal. For example, we can inject a yeast into that area and try to get the immune system to respond to the HPV virus.

Pulsed Dye Laser for Plantar Warts

Another therapy includes the pulse dye laser. This works by heating up blood vessels that supply the wart, thereby suffocating it.

Bleomycin for Plantar Warts

The most intense treatment is called bleomycin, a treatment wherein we inject a very strong anti-cancer agent into the wart tissue to cause the wart to necrose (die) and fall off.

Prescriptions for Plantar Warts

I can also give you prescriptions to take home with you ranging from over-the-counter treatments like salicylic acid to more advanced therapies, like imiquimod, which causes the immune system to target an HPV-affected area.

All of our therapies surround an attempt to irritate the wart area, so that the body’s immune system recruits T cells to the wart to target the HPV virus.

Are Plantar Warts Dangerous?

It bears mentioning that one of the reasons warts hang around as long as they do is because they’re never harmful to the body. While pesky and annoying to us, warts never harmed anyone. Therefore, the immune system has learned to, over time, ignore them. Essentially we must “trick” our immune system into targeting them.

Plantar Warts in Kids: What You Need to Know

Plantar warts are a fairly normal part of a kid’s life. In fact, they’re more common in children than in adults. Ultimately, if your child gets a wart, it’s nothing to panic about. But it’s important to know how to handle it.

That’s especially true if your child has a plantar wart. Because these warts develop on the bottoms of their feet, they can be painful as they walk or stand. Our North Central Texas Foot & Ankle team is here to help at our offices in Roanoke and Decatur, Texas. Samantha Childers, DPM, and Ricky Childers, DPM, specialize in children’s feet and have expertise in treating skin conditions like plantar warts. If you notice a wart on your child’s foot, don’t hesitate to visit us so we can make a plan together.

Treating Plantar Warts in Kids

If your child regularly complains that the bottom of one of their feet hurts or they feel like they have something in their shoe, check their feet. The plantar wart will look like a small, rough growth on the bottom of their foot. Some develop little black dots in the center.

In many cases, the wart won’t need treatment and will go away on its own. That said, if it’s causing your child discomfort when they walk — or it’s making them feel embarrassed — we can get rid of it.

In fact, we’re your best bet here. While other warts can sometimes be treated with at-home remedies or over-the-counter medication, the skin on the bottom of a child’s foot is much tougher. Professional treatment is often necessary to effectively remove plantar warts in kids.

Plantar Warts and Duct Tape: What You Should Know

Author: Dr. Bobby Buka

Have you ever heard of the plantar wart duct tape “hack” to get rid of warts? It’s not surprising if you have! It’s actually a commonly known method used widely.

But does it work all that well?

How does duct tape get rid of plantar warts?

Believe it or not, duct tape was originally described by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics as a treatment for plantar warts on the feet. It works by stripping away the top layer of the wart and suffocates the aerobic virus, which needs air to survive.

Another way duct tape works is in conjunction with medication by “revving up” the medication you’re putting on the wart because of improved penetration into the skin.

How long does it take to kill a wart with duct tape?

It may never go away completely with duct tape alone. Occasionally, it takes more professional treatment options to get rid of a plantar wart.

However, many report that it can take up to two months to get rid of a wart using the duct tape method.

Plantar Wart Treatments

Sometimes, duct tape on plantar warts doesn’t work. In those instances, we have plenty of treatment options for plantar warts.

Liquid Nitrogen for Plantar Warts

The most commonly used treatment is liquid nitrogen to bring the wart down to -50 degrees Celsius, and then immediately rewarm the skin. It gets really cold —like putting your tongue on a flagpole in the winter — the quick transition from freezing to room temperature causes viral particles to lyse (explode).

This treatment may cause a small blister afterwards, as the wart bubbles-up and falls off. It takes an average of three sessions to make most warts completely disappear. We space these treatments two weeks apart.

Yeast Injection for Plantar Warts

There are many other therapies for wart removal. For example, we can inject a yeast into that area and try to get the immune system to respond to the HPV virus.

Pulsed Dye Laser for Plantar Warts

Another therapy includes the pulse dye laser. This works by heating up blood vessels that supply the wart, thereby suffocating it.

Bleomycin for Plantar Wars

The most intense treatment is called bleomycin, a treatment wherein we inject a very strong anti-cancer agent into the wart tissue to cause the wart to necrose (die) and fall off.

These are among my top therapies for treating warts in our practice.

Prescriptions for Plantar Warts

I can also give you prescriptions to take home with you ranging from over-the-counter treatments like salicylic acid to more advanced therapies, like imiquimod, which causes the immune system to target an HPV-affected area.

All of our therapies surround an attempt to irritate the wart area, so that the body’s immune system recruits T cells to the wart to target the HPV virus.

Are plantar warts dangerous?

It bears mentioning that one of the reasons warts hang around as long as they do is because they’re never harmful to the body. While pesky and annoying to us, warts never harmed anyone.

Therefore, the immune system has learned to, over time, ignore them. Essentially we must “trick” our immune system into targeting them.

Plantar Warts in Kids: What You Need to Know: North Central Texas Foot & Ankle: Board Certified Podiatrists

Plantar Warts in Kids: What You Need to Know: North Central Texas Foot & Ankle: Board Certified Podiatrists

COVID-19 Practice Updates: Patient Announcement

Warts are a fairly normal part of a kid’s life. In fact, they’re more common in children than in adults. Ultimately, if your child gets a wart, it’s nothing to panic about. But it’s important to know how to handle it. 

That’s especially true if your child has a plantar wart. Because these warts develop on the bottoms of their feet, they can be painful as they walk or stand. 

Our North Central Texas Foot & Ankle team is here to help at our offices in Roanoke and Decatur, Texas.  Samantha Childers, DPM, and Ricky Childers, DPM, specialize in children’s feet and have expertise in treating skin conditions like plantar warts. If you notice a wart on your child’s foot, don’t hesitate to visit us so we can make a plan together.

Treating plantar warts in kids

If your child regularly complains that the bottom of one of their feet hurts or they feel like they have something in their shoe, check their feet. The plantar wart will look like a small, rough growth on the bottom of their foot. Some develop little black dots in the center.

In many cases, the wart won’t need treatment and will go away on its own. 

That said, if it’s causing your child discomfort when they walk — or it’s making them feel embarrassed — we can get rid of it.

In fact, we’re your best bet here. While other warts can sometimes be treated with at-home remedies or over-the-counter medication, the skin on the bottom of a person’s feet is so thick that it makes those options ineffective. We don’t freeze plantar warts, even at our office, for this exact reason. 

We also avoid cutting the wart out because we don’t want to take your child off their feet and away from activities they enjoy, like sports, or to cause them undue pain. 

The best way to get rid of a plantar wart is to use a peeling treatment. We commonly use cantharidin or prescription-strength salicylic acid (over-the-counter salicylic acid isn’t strong enough). We can recommend the right peeling agent for your child.

All this said, a wart isn’t something you should be overly worried about as a parent. If it’s bothering your child, though, Drs. Childers can work alongside your family to provide the right treatment for your child. 

We can also help you and your child make a plan to keep them comfortable with the wart. Cushioned shoes and thicker socks can alleviate the pain point they feel because of their wart, for example. 

Plantar warts are contagious

The other thing to know is that the virus that causes plantar warts is contagious. To prevent your child from spreading it to other members of your family or to their friends, encourage them to wear shoes (even a simple flip-flop will do the trick) when they’re in damp areas where the virus could thrive. 

Also, encourage your child to keep their feet clean and dry so the wart doesn’t spread to other parts of their feet. 

To learn more about plantar warts in kids — or for care if you’ve spotted one on your child’s foot — call or message one of our offices to schedule an appointment. 

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