Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Plantar wart surgery
Introduction
Surgery
Surgery
The American Family Physician recommends:
| First-line therapy | Over the counter salicylic acid |
| Second-line therapy | Cryosurgery, intralesional immunotherapy, or pulsed dye laser therapy |
| Third-line therapy | Bleomycin, surgical excision |
- Liquid nitrogen : Cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen. A common treatment that works by producing a blister under the wart. It is painful but usually nonscarring.
- Electrodesiccation and surgical excision produce scarring. If the wart recurs, the patient has a permanent scar along with the wart.
- Lasers may be effective, especially the 585nm pulsed dye laser which the most effective treatment of all, and does not leave scars, but is generally a last resort treatment as it is expensive and painful, and multiple laser treatments are required (generally 4-6 treatments repeated once a month until the wart disappears).
- Cauterization – This may be effective as a prolonged treatment. As a short-term treatment, cauterization of the base with anaesthetic can be effective, but this method risks scars or keloids. Subsequent surgical removal is unnecessary, and risks keloids and recurrence in the operative scar.
Video Demonstrating Cryosurgical Removal of a Plantar Wart
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Video Demonstrating the Surgical Excision of a Large Plantar Wart
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References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]