FAQs

Plantar Wart FAQs

Answers to common wart questions. Learn about contagious spread, treatment sessions, pain, aftercare, AHC coverage for plantar warts, and pricing for other warts.

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Understanding Plantar Warts

A plantar wart is a hard, rough growth on the bottom of the foot caused by HPV. Because of walking pressure, it often grows inward. It can look flat and skin-coloured. You may see tiny dark dots, which are small clotted blood vessels.

Plantar warts often break the normal skin lines and can hurt when you squeeze the sides. Calluses usually hurt more with direct pressure straight down. If you are not sure, get it checked.

They are small clotted blood vessels. Many people call them “seeds,” but they are not seeds.

They are very common, especially in kids, teens, and young adults. Risk is higher if you use public pools, locker rooms, or communal showers.

Spread and Prevention

Yes. HPV can spread through direct contact or from surfaces like pool decks, locker rooms, and communal showers. Warts can also spread from one spot on your body to another.

Use simple habits:

  • Wear sandals in pools, locker rooms, and public showers
  • Do not share towels, socks, shoes, or nail tools
  • Keep feet clean and dry
  • Do not pick or scratch warts
  • Cover a wart if it is rubbing or being touched often
  • Wash your hands after touching the area

Yes. Sharing floors, showers, towels, socks, and shoes can increase risk. Keeping the wart covered and not sharing personal items helps.

How Long Warts Last

In kids under 12, some warts clear within months to two years. In teens and adults, they can last for years. The longer a wart is there, the deeper it can grow and the harder it can be to treat.
A plantar wart is often called treatment-resistant when it has been there for more than six months and is not improving. These warts usually need a more structured plan.

Home Treatments

Home treatments can be reasonable for small, newer warts, especially in children. If there is no improvement after several weeks, or if the wart has been there for more than six months, in-clinic treatment is often a better next step.

Many plantar warts sit deeper than they look and are covered by thick skin. Home products mainly treat the surface. They may remove the top layer, but the deeper wart can keep growing.

They can help small warts, but they do not freeze as deeply as medical-grade liquid nitrogen used in a clinic.

No. Cutting or digging can cause bleeding, infection, scarring, and spread. It often makes the problem worse.

Freezing at a Family Doctor vs Our Clinic

Freezing alone may not reach all infected tissue, especially if the wart is deep or the skin is thick. It can also leave infected cells at the edges. That is why some plantar warts return.

Many family doctors use freezing as the main treatment. Our clinic uses a structured plan that combines medical laser with medical-grade cryotherapy. We also assess the wart’s depth and the thick skin around it, then adjust treatment over time.

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Our Treatment and What to Expect

There is no fixed number. It depends on:

  1. How deep the wart is
  2. How long it has been there
  3. Your immune response
  4. How your skin reacts to treatment
    Progress is checked each visit and the plan is adjusted.

The first visit starts with an assessment:

  • Confirm it is a plantar wart and not a callus or another issue
  • Review your medical history and what you have tried
  • Assess size, depth, location, and thick callus
  • Review benefits, risks, and realistic expectations in writing before treatment starts

Some discomfort is normal. Many people describe a quick hot sensation during laser, or a sharp cold sensation during freezing. Discomfort usually settles quickly. Settings are adjusted to balance comfort and results. We do not start at high settings.

Most people return to normal daily activity right away. Because plantar warts are on a weight-bearing area, some people feel tenderness for a few days.

Follow your clinic instructions. In general:

  • Keep the area clean and dry
  • Do not pick or scratch
  • Cover it if it is rubbing or likely to be touched
  • Time between visits matters because your body is doing the work during that period.

Yes. HPV can stay quiet in the skin even after the wart looks gone. A new wart can form in the same spot or a different spot. Completing the full plan helps lower the risk.

Coverage and Pricing

Yes. Plantar wart treatment on the feet is covered by Alberta Health Care at no cost to the patient, when it meets coverage rules.

Warts on areas like the hands are not covered and are billed to the patient.

Flat fee: $90 per treatment for non-covered warts.

Safety and Risks

All medical treatments carry some risk. The most common issues are temporary discomfort and tenderness. A small risk of infection is possible with any skin treatment. Risks and aftercare are reviewed and provided in writing at your first visit.
Most warts are not dangerous, but some growths that look like warts are not warts. Get assessed if a growth is changing, bleeding, very painful, or looks unusual.

Referrals and Next Steps

No. You can call and book directly. Some patients are also sent to us by their family doctor.

See your family doctor first if you have:

  • Diabetes, poor circulation, or reduced feeling in your feet
  • A weakened immune system
  • A growth that is bleeding or changing
  • Many warts or warts that keep returning for a long time
    Sometimes persistent warts can be linked to immune system issues that your family doctor should check.
Your options can include a structured course of laser-based treatment, or a referral to a dermatologist through your family doctor. An assessment helps decide the best next step.
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