Will A Plantar Wart On The Foot Go Away By Itself?

Posted 13 Mar

Plantar warts, which are medically known as verrucae, describe a circular and rough mass that can appear on the bottom of the feet, as well as around the sides of the feet and toes. Plantar warts are a common and frustrating problem seen by our Brisbane podiatrists. They affect everyone from young children to older adults. As such, many people will be very aware of a wart (or several warts) on their feet for many months before seeking help, hoping that they will quickly and quietly resolve on their own. But do plantar warts really go away on their own? And what can you do to make them go away - or at least relieve your symptoms? Here’s what you should know about getting rid of your plantar warts.  

Do Plantar Warts Go Away On Their Own?

If the question is whether plantar warts can disappear on their own, the answer is yes. Plantar warts are actually caused by a virus (called the human papillomavirus), so when the body recognises the virus, it will deploy the body’s natural defence mechanisms and immune response to clear the virus.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to predict when warts will spontaneously resolve. Every person will respond differently to the virus, and the virus often evades immune detection or triggers a slow immune response, which is why it can take years for warts to self-resolve in children, and longer in adults. Harvard Health reports that up to a third of warts will resolve at the two-year mark, although for many people that visit us in our clinics, their warts have been present (and often have been getting bigger) for years on end. This is because other factors play a role in the likelihood of your wart self-resolving too - like its size, location, your personal health, the exposure of the wart to friction and pressure - and more.

Simply put: warts can and do go away on their own. But you may be waiting many years (or longer) for this to happen. Which many people are not content to do.

Warts Can Become Painful

A big factor for many people in deciding whether to have a wart treated or to try to wait it out is whether it’s causing any symptoms, and what effect (if any) it’s having on their quality of life. While many warts can remain painless and asymptomatic when pressure is not applied over the wart, when the wart is present on a weight bearing surface (like the heel or ball of the foot) or around the sides of the feet or toes where it rubs against footwear, then it can quickly become painful, making walking and performing daily activities quite uncomfortable. Some warts will also develop a layer of callus from the pressure on them during walking, making the area more tender and painful. This is a sure sign for many that it’s time to have their wart treated by their podiatrist.

Warts Can Spread Within Households

Another reason why many people choose to have their wart treated instead of waiting it out is the risk of the wart (virus) spreading to other members of the household. Plantar warts are typically spread through direct contact. As the virus thrives in warm and moist environments, areas like home bathrooms and showers are a key area where family members (and guests) are likely to walk barefoot and come into contact with contaminated surfaces. The same can occur outside of the household at gym changing rooms, public swimming pools and the like.

The virus that causes plantar warts can enter the skin through tiny cuts, abrasions, or weakened areas, allowing it to infect the outer layer of skin on the soles of the feet. Sharing personal items like towels, socks, or shoes with someone who has plantar warts can also spread the virus. Choosing to treat the virus instead of waiting it out means that the risk of it spreading is minimised.

Quick And Effective Plantar Wart Treatment

For those that don’t want to take the gamble on waiting years (or longer) for their warts to resolve, it’s important to have a fast, effective and proven treatment for plantar warts. This is why we offer Swift wart therapy. 

Swift uses medical microwave technology that is highly effective in resolving plantar warts. We administer it via a handpiece on a machine that allows us to deliver a focused direct microwave signal into the skin. What sets Swift apart is that the signal only reaches a predetermined depth (to specifically target the wart cells), meaning that the treatment does not damage the surface of the skin. The actions of swift therapy causes the infected wart tissue to release proteins that elicit an immune response from the body, to fight and cure the virus. This means that over the course of treatment, your body also becomes immune to the virus - and doesn’t only kill the wart like most other treatments. Our patients love Swift because there is:

• No dressings required.
  
• No anaesthetic required.
  
• No pain post treatment
  
• No downtime needed post treatment
  
• No need for self-care post treatment
  
• Most treatments will not require debridement before the application
  

Simply put: it’s an easy, safe and effective way to target plantar warts while keeping you maximally comfortable. Want to see the results (including the before and after photos) of Swift treating a 34-year-old with warts on the bottom of his foot? Read Jake’s case study here.

The first step to booking in for Swift or discussing other treatment options to get rid of your plantar wart is an appointment with one of our podiatrists. You can book directly online here or call us on 1300 993 338 and book into our Brisbane CBD or Newmarket clinics.