Plantar Wart!

Updated on July 11, 2012
J.K. asks from Davis, CA
16 answers

My daughter has a plantar wart on the bottom of her foot. Anyone out there have any experience getting rid of these? I've researched the usual "wart removal" over the counter things which seem to only sometimes work, but have also heard that apple cider vinegar is a home remedy. I've known about duct tape being effective on warts, but she has super sweaty feet, so I'm not sure that one would work. She competely freaks herself out at the idea of going to the Dr. (no real reason for this; there have never been any bad experiences) so we thought we'd try some other things first.
Thanks!

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So What Happened?

We used the apple cider vinegar method at night for about a week and the wart isn't noticeable except for a little black dot. I assume those are the "seeds"...? So we're keeping at it until it's completely gone! Thanks for your help!

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E.K.

answers from San Francisco on

I had one on my toe as a teenager went to the Dr & he froze it (no pain at all) & then removed the entire wart it has never come back in the 20+ years since it was done. Hope this helps

1 mom found this helpful

M.B.

answers from Tampa on

My brother had to get his cut out after the acid treatments failed. His we're really bad and left a good size hole in his heel.

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

We got rid of O. on the bottom of my son's foot that the podiatrist said he would need to remove surgically.

Go to the pharmacy and ask for the acid plaster patches.

Every night, after bath/shower, cut a small disc the exact size of the plantar wart and apply to the wart. Cover with a bandaid, and a sock.

Do this every night for about 2 weeks.

That's all it took.

I'm SO glad I didn't have him "put under" and have the surgery. And, btw, the podiatrist assured me this method could be tried, but he "guaranteed" me that it would not work. Total cost? A box or two of bandaids and about $2.50 for two acid plaster sheets.

2 moms found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I've had plantar warts off and on since I was 13. These take patience to get rid of but avoid taking her to the Dr. for this at all costs. I was tortured with acid poked in with toothpicks and dry ice several times. It hurts like h$!! and often doesn't work anyway, the wart comes right back. If she's never had a bad Dr. experience, you don't want to change that for this.

Go to a drug store and buy the salicylic acid wart remover. It comes in liquid or a stick that looks like a chapstick. After a bath or soaking her foot in water, take something sharp (a nail file, tweezers, or something like that) and scrape the dead skin away from the wart. Dig at it. Then apply the acid and cover with a band-aid. Do this every other night or so. If the area gets sore, stop for a few days. Keep doing this and eventually the wart will be gone.

The duct tape method actually does work, according to the Mayo Clinic's website, but takes very a very long time, and I don't see how you could keep the tape on every day for that many weeks.

Plantar warts are an annoyance, but harmless. If they hurt when walking, it's because of the dead skin that collects on top of the wart, not the wart itself. They can last for years, and then just disappear on their own. But treating them is best because they can spread. I've had a dozen at a time, or just one. I had one for years (got lazy) and it never spread. Right now I have none because my daughter (10) loves to "play doctor" and treated my last one for me like I described above and it's gone!

2 moms found this helpful

E.A.

answers from Erie on

We used the OTC wart removal medicine at the advice of our doctor. You have to apply it and change the bandage every day. I think it took 2 weeks to get rid of my son's plantar wart this way. A little bit of the wart peels off every time you remove the bandage. Soon, it will look like a hole in her foot, just keep at it until you peel away the last layer and it's healthy skin.

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D.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

the only method that's worked effectively for our family and my friend who had them having the doctor freeze them. even at the age of 7, i remembered i much preferred 30 seconds of burning pain on my foot rather than weeks of hobbling around with acid treatments on my foot which may or may not work, especially in the summer time.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

Try the freeze off wart removers.
I have heard that pineapple will remove a wart. The enzymes somehow take out the wart but I'm not sure.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Washington DC on

My daughter had one recently, we went the dr route. Like you said OTC remedies sometimes work, sometimes they don't. She saw a podiatrist and got the laser done. It took 5 treatments but she'd had the wart for like 9 months so it was dug in there. We went that route b/c she wanted it gone asap, she was having trouble walking, and it seemed the least painful out of all the options.

My Daughter is the biggest drama queen ever, so I know how you feel, but even she now says that was the best way to go. He numbed her foot before using the laser so all she had to be brave for was the needle. On her last treatments she didn't even need to be numbed.

He told us: " Ask a hundred people and you'll get a hundred different ways to get rid of them". So you will prob get a lot of suggestions there isnt one right way.

Good Luck!!

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J.M.

answers from Missoula on

I had horrible plantar warts on my feet for YEARS when I was younger. I had a good 7 on one foot, and 12 on the other!!! We tried everything... over the counter meds, freezing, duct tape, vinegar, EVERYTHING except the doctor! (We didn't have health insurance, so doctor visits for non-emergency issues didn't happnen...) Eventually, I gave up.

Then one year, I got on a garlic dip kick. I ate it every day for nearly 2 months. (lol) and my warts just went away!

I looked it up, and it turns out that garlic is an excellent anti-everything. lol.

So you might try giving her garlic capsules for a while. She may smell bad, but garlic is incredibly good for your health anyway, so it's a slightly smelly win-win. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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F.M.

answers from Lincoln on

oh my gosh, i had a huge one when i was 14 and all i did was dig it out with tweezers and a nail clipper. took me about a month and i would work on it every night... just digging it out basically. probably not the best way to do this but it was right underneath my toes and it hurt like heck when i walked! i just wanted it out of there!! i am so surprised and so lucky i did not get infection! good luck. those suckers hurt!

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M.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

100% Tea Tree oil. Apply with cottonball twice a day for a few weeks.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Chico on

I had a terrible plantar wart years ago. I tried EVERYTHING. The only thing that worked was a trip to the podiatrist and surgical removal. Honestly, I would suggest a visit to a podiatrist. Those things are painful and there's no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on stuff that doesn't work.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I had a wart that went away with pure Melaleuca oil (sometimes called tea tree oil). Rubbed it on there several times a day and it went away after about a week. Awesome.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Atlanta on

Use the salicylic acid patches that you can buy at the drugstore. Apply them religiously and follow the instructions exactly, and it will get rid of the wart.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I had one as a teen that really hurt! My mom wouldn't take me to the Dr. and eventually it went away. I've had planters warts 1 or 2 more times. I don't know if it was the same foot as before (like it was coming back) or not. They didn't hurt much the other times and went away on their own. The over the counter stuff didn't work.

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J.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I just had success with the salicylic acid OTC treatment. I would try that first and go to the doctor to freeze odd if it is not resolved in a month or so.

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