Warts Specialist
-
- Tweet
Tobin C Gallawa, DPM, FACFAS
Board Certified Podiatrist located in Sacramento, CA
Warts are a common skin growth caused by a viral infection. Warts that develop on your feet are called plantar warts. Though you have many over-the-counter treatment options for warts, they’re not consistently effective. At his private practice, in Sacramento, California, board-certified podiatrist Tobin C. Gallawa, DPM, FACFAS, removes warts with a simple in-office procedure without creating a permanent scar. Call the offices of Tobin C. Gallawa DPM FACFAS today if you have a wart that you would like to have removed.
Warts Q&A
What are warts?
Warts are benign skin growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which may enter your body through a cut or broken skin. You can develop warts on any part of your body. Warts that occur on your feet are called plantar warts and typically develop on the bottom of your foot.
There are two types of plantar warts:
Solitary plantar wart
A solitary plantar wart refers to a single wart found on your foot that tends to grow larger. Your solitary wart may also multiply, creating satellite warts.
Mosaic plantar warts
Mosaic plantar warts refer to several small warts that grow in clusters in one area of your foot. You may find it harder treating mosaic plantar warts than a solitary plantar wart.
What are wart symptoms?
Plantar warts tend to cause an area of thickened skin where they develop, which you may misdiagnose as a callus. In addition to thickened skin, you may also experience pain at the site of your wart when walking or standing. You may even notice a tiny black dot on the surface of your wart, which is a clotted capillary (small blood vessel).
When should I seek medical care for my warts?
Though you can find over-the-counter treatment for your warts, they’re often ineffective. If your at-home care fails to get rid of your warts or worsens your condition, contact Dr. Gallawa for an evaluation. You should also seek medical care for your plantar warts if your wart causes pain or interferes with your daily activities.
If you have diabetes or a weakened immune system, you should skip over-the-counter treatments altogether and seek expert care from Dr. Gallawa instead to reduce the risk of foot problems and other health complications.
How are warts treated?
Most providers treat warts by freezing them off with liquid nitrogen. However, this standard procedure damages the skin and results in scar tissue that may cause symptoms much worse than the wart itself.
Dr. Gallawa develops individualized treatment plans for warts based on the number of warts you have and the severity of your symptoms. In some cases, he performs a simple in-office procedure to remove warts without creating scar tissue. In other cases, he may determine that surgical intervention is unnecessary.
For expert care of your plantar warts, contact Dr. Galllawa’s office by phone today.
