Plantar Wart Self Care: How to Get Rid of Warts on Kids' Feet
School-age kids can come home with some pretty gross stuff like body odor and head lice. But in my book, none of these make my stomach twist and turn as much as plantar warts. These are ugly, persistent and hurtful little buggers. If you haven’t dealt with them before, this article will prepare you for what lies ahead from a parent’s perspective. After two of kids had them, we picked up some good tips for plantar wart self-care. These tips are also applicable to adults.
What are Plantar Warts?
Children with plantar warts will tell you that every step feels like they are walking on a small stone. I feel bad remembering the first time my daughter developed one of these. I didn’t know about plantar warts at the time and assumed it was just like any other wart. Initially, I didn’t even worry too much when she complained. She has a very low pain tolerance and I assumed it was more of a nuisance than anything else. It wasn’t until the complaints persisted that I realized something else was going on and I began sleuthing. I quickly learned that plantar warts are MUCH more painful that regular warts.
Plantar warts are flat pea-sized warts that show up on the bottom of feet. They have a surface appearance of cauliflower and can sprout black thread-like veins in the middle. To make things worse, plantar warts are contagious and painful. They are fairly common and affect 10-20% of school-age kids.
Where do Plantar Warts Come From?
Plantar warts are caused by a virus that can be transferred by surface connection. The virus needs a way to get into the skin such as via cuts, scrapes, or dry cracks. Skin that is wet and softened after a long swim is also susceptible. Softstar encourages that kids go barefoot for healthy foot development, but one downside is that kids can contract plantar warts from playground surfaces that were used by their peers. I believe my kids picked them up at the local pool swim deck or locker room since their warts reappeared a few weeks after swim lessons started. Adults can get them, too, although kids are more susceptible as they have less built-up immunities. Anyone with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to plantar warts.
Plantar Wart Self Care: Removal
According to medical experts, plantar warts can go away on their own after 1-2 years. But I have yet to meet a parent who made it that long without seeking a faster remedy. Fortunately, there are many plantar wart self-care home remedies you can try. Of course, you should always consult with your doctor first to make sure there isn’t something other than a wart. First rule out other concerns about your child’s health that could be causing the growth. Also, you should not pursue some of these options if you or your child have weakened immune systems, diabetes, or other serious health conditions. Talk to your doctor first.
Preface: Can Epsom Salt Get Rid of Warts?
By itself, no. However, using epsom salt for plantar warts can make the removal strategies below more effective. Dissolve two tablespoons of epsom salts per gallon of warm water, then soak your feet for 20 minutes. Epsom salts may also relieve discomfort due to their anti-inflammatory properties and can make some of these removal tactics less painful.
- Freeze it off (Cryotherapy)
- This is the method my family found to be the best and most effective. While doctors may offer to do it professionally, you can also purchase over-the-counter products to do it yourself at home like we did. Check out Compound W Freeze Off or Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away. It comes with topical applicators and simple instructions. We found it best to apply after a scrubbing bath, as described below. The freeze method will take anywhere from 1–5 applications over 1–2 weeks to completely kill the wart. It's a relatively fast process compared to other treatments, but the cold sensation may be a little painful.
- Chemical Peel
- Your doctor can do this or you can do it at home with over-the-counter products like Compound W. This company sell a variety of salicylic acid peeling products for treating the warts. It's almost the same as the freeze method above, but has the advantage of being less traumatizing to apply to your child’s foot since it is not cold. The downside is that it takes longer to fully remove the wart—between 3-6 weeks.
- Other Chemical Cauterization
- Other topical wart treatments include the use of zinc, silver nitrate or cantharidin (derived from Blister Beetles) applied as an ointment. One suggested natural remedy uses a “smoke box” with smoke from burnt medicinal leaves like populus euphratica. Your practitioner's office might offer these treatments or you can do them at home. Chemical cauterization is generally less successful than cryotherapy or salicylic acid. You might consider it as a less invasive and more natural approach to treatment.
- Duct Tape
- I felt I should include this home remedy for plantar warts since it is all over the internet. Duct tape purportedly works for some. For me it had zero, zilch, nada effect at our house despite valiant attempts by my 4th grader. Basically, you cover the wart with silver duct tape for 5-6 days, then do the soak/scrape method described below. Let the foot rest for 12 hours, reapply the duct tape and repeat the process. Personally, I don’t understand why creating a non-breathable, sweaty environment for the wart would work. This tactic seems more like wishing it to go away. Other people seem to think it works, though.
- Surgical Procedures (If All Else Fails)
- This last one is not a plantar wart self-care tip, but a last resort. Doctors can perform more intense procedures such as electrical cauterizing or laser treatment. Your pediatrician may refer you to a podiatrist with better access to specialized equipment for the process. Doctors usually apply a localized anesthetic. For obvious reasons, I recommend avoiding surgery if any of the other less invasive methods are effective.
Have Patience (Bonus Tips)
The above approaches, aside from surgical removal, will require a little patience. It takes time for the virus to die and for the skin to slough off. After starting the treatment, I found that giving my children long, hot baths would speed the removal process. It softens the dying skin on the wart. While in the tub, gently rub the wart with a pumice stone or emery board. Keep in mind this may be painful for your child. I found it better to let my kids scrub it themselves. I purchased a pack of small disposable pumice-like scrubbers and a box of disposable gloves to use when treating the wart so that I would not spread the virus further.
Kids will naturally start picking at the wart in the tub with their fingernails. Discourage them from doing so because it may cause more contamination. Make sure they wash their hand and fingernails carefully if they touch the wart. You might even try to get them to wear sanitary gloves! Reapplying the cyrotherapy or salicylic acid is generally most effective on a completely dry foot after a bath/scrub session.
What a plantar wart looks like when it comes out
After a few weeks of therapy, the wart will be dead, dry, and calloused looking. Then, with some gentle rubbing, the whole thing will come out in the bath. Be prepared: there will be a deep hole in the bottom of your child’s foot where the wart comes out. It looks really freaky! It might even make you gag (a lot). Stay calm, though. Even though the hole looks painful, it is usually not. What you are seeing is clean, new skin that has grown in around the dead virus. Within a few days, the foot should completely heal and the hole will have faded to a distant, unsettling memory.
Plantar Wart Self Care: Prevention
Follow these six tips to reduce the risk of you or your child getting plantar warts again:
- Make sure your kids understand that touching the warts with their hands can spread them.
- If they do touch a planter wart, immediately wash their hands carefully with soap and water.
- Use disposable emery boards or other scrubbers when sloughing off the wart. Then you can throw it away when done and reduce the risk of further contamination.
- Keep your kids' feet clean and dry with fresh socks and alternating pairs of shoes. Breathable shoes, which are always important for foot health and to reduce foot odor, are especially effective in this case.
- Get some barefoot kids shoes or sandals for wearing in public showers or around swimming pools.
- Beware of potentially infectious environments. In our case, I talked to the local pool director when I realized the plantar warts came back the next year when the swim season started. It turned out my family wasn't the only one! The facility improved their pool deck and locker room cleaning processes. In the end, the pool director informed me that reported incidences have evaporated.
With these easy precautions and a little luck, you may never encounter plantar warts in your family. If they do appear, I hope these tips will save you some time and detective work in finding a solution.
We hope you and your kids' feet stay happy all year long!
Trish has been an entrepreneur, marketer and maker ever since she crushed her first lemonade stand at age five. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, she spent many summers running barefoot with her sisters. These early memories later inspired her to build a brand which embraced the joy and freedom of childhood with the health and science of minimal footwear.
Trish relishes evolving the company to grow stronger and more competitive with each passing year. She is a frequent expert panelist for both e-commerce and entrepreneurship conferences. Trish enjoys spending time with her family, dogs and ducks on their property in Oregon and loves the proximity to both surf and snow. She has a background in Engineering Physics and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
My 6yr daughter has been struggling from a planter wart the size of Russia for over 6 months. It has even been named "Ivan the horrible".
She's been in so much pain. We ended up using salicylic acid and the duct tape theory. This combo worked a treat after 3 weeks. Also thanks for the heads up on the hole. This had me worried at first.
One thing that did surprise me from Ivan was it did ooze some pus when we ripped it off. Disgusting!!!!
Thank you again!
Ingrid.
I have had great success with wart removal using duct tape. You must keep silver du t tape well stuck on the spot 24 hours per day for weeks. For some reason, you body will then reject the entire wart and it will suddenly pull off in the tape one day. The rest of your skin will be unaffected. Change the tape as needed or if bathing or swimming. Clean area well with alcohol and dry before each tape application to allow it to stick well.
Also, Alexandra, Patty is correct, the virus that causes the wart, can be spread.
The humor was a total bonus!
Since then I have treated a wart on my hand with just Apple Cider Vinegar. I dipped a cotton swab in ACV then taped it to the wart. After about 3 or 4 days the wart turned black and a week or two later, the black part came out and then it reverted to normal skin after it healed. I think its easier when you're not dealing with a bunch of callous along with a wart.
I sand it down all around with an automatic foot buffer tool. Then I add compound W and a bandaid after a good 5 minute soak.
I’ve seen the gross hole many times. Then I put into the hole more acid with a bandaid. It always comes back anyway.
I’ve sanded the hole area down sometimes until it’s all level. At times the former wart hole area starts to bleed. But then it’s level and smooth again. But it always comes back. They are the worst.
Had warts my whole life. Fingers and toes. On and off. Gone for a decade once!
Now my kids have them. They do eventually just go away. It’s true! But my pesky one right now just doesn’t want to leave!
I will try the ACV and the Epson salts. Thanks!
The handheld foot buffer machine helps with the dead skin.
That’s my only real suggestion.
Any home remedies to remove it please