What are Warts?
A wart is an infection caused by a virus, which can invade your skin through small cuts or breaks. Over time, the wart develops into a hard, rough growth on the surface of the skin. A wart is most commonly seen on the bottom of the foot (plantar wart), but can also appear on the top. Children, teens, and people with allergies or weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to the wart virus.

Symptoms
Warts may appear spongy, with tiny red, brown, or black spots. They can grow up to an inch or more across, occurring alone (solitary) or with smaller warts clustered nearby (mosiac). Warts are sometimes mistaken for corns or calluses. They can persist for years and recur in the same spot. If left untreated, warts can spread to other parts of the foot or even to the hands or other areas of the body.

Evaluation
Dr. Henry examines your wart carefully to determine that it is not a corn or callus. A wart will usually feel painful when he squeezes it from side to side. To examine the wart further, the hard skin layer around it may need to be trimmed. A wart will have certain spots that bleed when trimmed; a callus will not.

How Does Dr. Henry Treat Warts?
There are many ways to treat warts, depending on their size and location. Dr. Henry may wish to prescribe and supervise your use of a wart-removal preparation. Often, removal of warts by a simple surgical procedure will be indicated.

One common way is cryocautery, which involves freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen or another agent. Dr. Henry would first remove the layers of dead skin which the body has formed over the wart to protect against irritation, then apply liquid nitrogen with a cotton swab or another applicator. Often a second application, some days after the first is required and occasionally, several treatments are necessary -- when warts particularly deep or when several wart clusters are present.

Even after warts are removed, they may re-occur.

Curettage
The wart is removed with a small, spoonshaped instrument (curette). To make the removal pain free a local anesthetic is used for this procedure.

What Can I Do About Warts?
After Dr. Henry treats your warts, protect your feet from future infection by keeping them clean and dry. If you're thinking of using over-the-counter medications for warts, ask Dr. Henry first. Some of these treatments can damage skin-and may be dangerous if you have diabetes or poor circulation.

Avoid going barefoot in public places like showers, gyms, and locker rooms. The wart virus may spread easily in moist settings like these. Wear thongs or sandals on your feet.