Plantar warts are a common problem that can occur on either the feet or the hands. They are harder to treat than warts in other areas because pressure on the soles or palms causes a plantar wart to grow inwards. A layer of hard skin often forms over the wart, making them resemble a callus.

Plantar warts can become painful, and multiple warts may develop if left untreated. It is also best to treat warts to reduce the risk of transmission to those around you.

Remedy Laser provides an effective plantar wart treatment using our medical grade Nd:YAG laser.

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What causes plantar warts?

Plantar warts are an infection caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). It is possible to catch the virus from contact with others that have warts, or even from walking barefoot on surfaces that others have walked on.

Ways to avoid HPV include:

  • avoid touching warts on those who have them
  • don’t share shoes and socks
  • don’t walk barefoot in communal showers

Many people carry HPV without even realising it. Once you have had a wart, it is impossible to get rid of HPV from the body.

plantar warts-1

 

How have plantar warts been treated?

Treatment of plantar warts has previously involved destroying wart tissue in various ways including:

  • wart paints and other chemical methods
  • using liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart
  • cauterisation or the burning of wart tissue

These methods have the disadvantage of causing indiscriminate damage to surrounding normal skin, causing blisters or other problems.

In difficult cases, doctors have even resorted to surgery to remove plantar warts.

 

Why laser treatment of plantar warts?

Our laser treatment for plantar warts is the most gentle way of ridding plantar warts, without harming normal skin. At Remedy Laser we use a Nd:YAG laser to penetrate into the skin and destroy the HPV virus particles themselves, without damaging any tissue. Even most other laser treatments are not this selective.

You will not notice any change in the wart immediately after treatment, but because the virus has been effectively eliminated, the wart will gradually die and blacken over the following weeks. In time your body’s natural processes will repair the wart and all trace of it will disappear.

 

How is plantar wart treatment carried out?

At Remedy Laser we use a laser beam whose diameter is matched to the size of the plantar wart. This way there is minimal damage to normal tissue around the wart. Larger warts might require multiple shots in a honeycomb pattern.

Destruction of virus particles causes heat which can be experienced as pain. At Remedy Laser we use a sophisticated air cooling system to minimise discomfort to you.

Laser treatment of plantar warts at Remedy laser is a simple walk-in and walk-out procedure, with no down time required.

 

How effective is laser wart treatment?

In many cases just one treatment session is required. Some warts are more resistant than others however, and in difficult cases up to dozen treatment sessions might be needed. The laser settings are generally increased for each subsequent treatment until success is achieved.

 

Are there any side effects?

The higher laser settings that are required for warts that are difficult to treat can sometimes cause damage to surrounding tissue. This can very occasionally lead to pain and blistering. The likelihood of this happening is lower than with other treatment methods mentioned above.

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The process – stamp out plantar warts

Plantar wart treatment may only require two visits to Remedy Laser, but sometimes more laser treatments will be needed.

 

Visit 1plantar warts
One of our doctors will examine your feet and hands to see if you have plantar warts. They will also assess your suitability for laser plantar wart treatment.

If plantar warts are found you will have a laser treatment with our Nd:YAG laser. The aim is to treat all your warts, but if you find the treatment uncomfortable, some of them will be left for a later visit.

 

Visit 2
You’ll come back six weeks later for our doctor to check that the treated warts have completely disappeared. It is important that you return for this visit so the doctor can check that there isn’t the slightest remnant of the wart.

If any signs of the wart remain, another treatment will be performed. The laser settings might be increased this time if there was absolutely no improvement with the previous treatment.

 

Subsequent Visits
If you needed a second treatment, you’ll come back again six weeks later for another check. Further treatments will be performed as many times as required to destroy all your plantar warts.

 

Our Specialists

All treatments at Remedy Laser are performed by practitioners trained in the appropriate use of medical grade lasers.

See more about our team at Remedy Laser on our About Us Page

 


 

Contact

If you would like to learn more about this treatment or make a booking, please call 02 9411 3352 or send us an enquiry using the form below.

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Shop 2, 153-157 Victoria Avenue Chatswood

Opening Hours: By Appointment Only