How to Know When a Plantar Wart Is Completely Gone

Written by Laura Agadoni

27 July, 2017

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If you walk around barefoot, you could pick up a plantar wart. These warts show up on the bottom of your foot. You will see either one or a cluster of growths on the bottom of your foot. In children, sometimes they go away on their own, while adults usually have to see a doctor to get rid of them. It can be hard to know when plantar warts are gone because they do not stick up (walking on them flattens them out). After treatment, you will be able to tell when your plantar wart is completely gone.

Freeze the wart. Cryosurgery is a two-step process that your doctor can perform. First, you must get the wart ready for freezing, and then the doctor can freeze it. It may take several attempts before the wart is gone completely.

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Get the wart ready for removal. The better you prepare the wart for removal, the less freezing treatments you will likely need.

Clean the wart. For two weeks prior to the freezing, before going to bed, clean the wart with soap and water, and put Compound W on it. Then, cover it with a pad of 40 percent salicylic acid. Leave the pad on for 24 hours. Take off the pad, clean the area again with soap and water, put on Compound W, and put on another pad. If the pad cannot stay on during the day, just use it at night. If the wart starts to turn red or hurt during this process, stop doing it, and see the doctor.

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Go to the doctor. After the two-week preparation, your wart will look white. Now, your doctor can freeze it off.

Examine your foot. You should be able to tell if your wart is gone by looking at your foot. You should not have any black dots, one of the signs of plantar warts. Your skin should look smooth, particularly in the skin’s ridges. You should not see a bump or circle in the line pattern in your foot. In addition, the area may look a little lighter after it has healed.

Assess if you still have pain when you walk or touch where the wart was. You should have no pain if the wart is gone.

Feel the area. You should have no bumps on your foot. The area should feel smooth.