A painful spot on the sole of your foot may be a plantar wart, but corns and other skin changes can look similar. A foot assessment helps establish the likely cause before you choose a treatment.
What to tell your chiropodist
Explain how long the area has been present, whether it has changed, how it affects walking and what you have already applied. Mention diabetes, reduced sensation, circulation concerns, pregnancy, allergies and medicines. A changing, bleeding or unusual lesion needs examination rather than repeated self-treatment.
Choosing a treatment
The recommendation depends on the diagnosis, location, symptoms and your health. Discuss the expected number of visits, alternatives, costs and what will happen if the first approach does not help. No wart treatment should be described as guaranteeing clearance without recurrence.
Ask about blistering treatments
Your clinician may discuss a cantharidin-containing treatment. If this is proposed, confirm the exact product and ask for its specific aftercare instructions. Cantharidin treatments cause blistering; soreness and inflammation may follow even when the application itself is comfortable. They are intended for professional use, not home application.
Ask how to manage the treated area, which activities or footwear may be uncomfortable, when to contact the clinic and what symptoms require urgent advice. Follow the instructions given for your treatment rather than a generic online wash-off schedule.
Prepare for follow-up
Tell your clinician about changes in pain, skin or walking after treatment. Further visits may be needed, and the plan can be reconsidered if progress is limited. See our plantar wart page and corn-or-wart guide for related information.
Contact Locke
Navraj Sekhon and Elias Mohamed provide chiropody care at 460 Main Street East, Unit M3, Hamilton, and 980 Queenston Road, Suite 103, Stoney Creek. Email: admin@lockefootclinic.ca.
289-269-1018 · lockefootclinic.ca · https://lockestreetfootclinic.janeapp.com/#/staff_member/1/treatment/1
Further reading: Dormer Laboratories product information and NHS wart information. General education; individual recommendations follow assessment.