Cryosurgery for Verruca Plantaris (Plantar Warts)

Cryosurgery for Verruca Plantaris (Plantar Warts)

Plantar warts, small growths that generally appear on the weight bearing areas of the foot, are very common. In fact, most people will have a plantar wart at some point in their lifetime. About 10% of teenagers have plantar warts, according to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society.(1)

The following are indications of a plantar wart:

  • A small, fleshy, rough, grainy growth (lesion) on the bottom of your foot, usually the base of the toes and forefoot or the heel;
  • Hard, thickened skin (callus) over a well-defined “spot” on the skin, where a wart has grown inward;
  • Black pinpoints, which are commonly called wart seeds but are actually small, clotted blood vessels;
  • A lesion that interrupts the normal lines and ridges in the skin of your foot;
  • Pain or tenderness when walking or standing.(2)

 

While harmless, plantar warts can be painful. Standing on them makes them grow up into the skin, which may feel like a stone in one’s shoe. There are different modes of treatment, including salicylic acid delivered in a solution or on a patch, and cryosurgery.(1)

In cryosurgery, a cryogenic gas is applied to the skin which freezes the lesion. “Cutaneous cryosurgery has become a commonly performed outpatient procedure because of the combination of its safety, effectiveness, low cost, ease of use, lack of need for injectable anesthetic and good cosmetic results.”(3)

Hydrozid® is an FDA cleared portable cryosurgery device, designed for primary care physicians, pediatricians, dermatologists, and podiatrists, for the treatment of plantar warts, skin tags, age spots, and a number of additional benign and premalignant skin conditions. Qualified providers, visit to set up an account and order.

(1) American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, https://www.footcaremd.org/conditions-treatments/toes/plantar-warts

(2) Mayo Clinic, Plantar Warts, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-warts/

(3) Clebak, K. MD, Mendez-Miller, M. DO, Croad, J. DO, American Family Physician, Cutaneous Cryosurgery for Common Skin Conditions, https://www.aafp.org/

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