While warts on the bottom of your feet are quite common, especially in kids, treating plantar warts is notoriously painful. Even worse, most people will develop these lesions at least once in a lifetime. In the past, our Powder Springs podiatrists' patients had to rely on treatments that used salicylic acid or liquid nitrogen to destroy the wart tissue. But these treatments were problematic. They took a while to work. Plus, they also destroyed healthy tissue that surrounded the warts. On many occasions, they left behind some wart tissue, leading to what seemed to be reinfections. And, worst of all, they hurt!
Today, we can treat plantar warts more effectively. And, we can do so, with minimal discomfort. How is that possible? Dr. Alvin Cowans offers Swift Therapy for plantar warts, a virtually pain-free treatment that gets rid of these growths with very few instances of recurrences. In a moment, we'll explain how it works. But first, let's get a quick refresher on plantar warts.
What are Plantar Warts?
These are simply warts that develop on the bottom of your foot. Symptoms include:
• Pain when walking or squeezing your lesions
• Lesions that have a small, black dot in their center
• Bleeding from the lesions
What is Swift Therapy for Plantar Warts?
Swift therapy uses microwave energy for treating plantar warts in a way that's very different from traditional methods. You see, Swift doesn't try to get rid of these lesions by destroying the tissue. Instead, it "turns on" your immune system, helping your own body fight the virus that causes warts to develop. In turn, you can treat your warts from within. And, because your body learns to recognize and fight these warts during the treatment process, the odds of them returning is below one percent.
How it Works
Stimulating your immune system may seem like a big task, but the Swift system does it powerfully. How? Basically, this treatment applies low-level microwave energy directly to the site of your warts. But that energy doesn't stay on the skin's surface. Instead, in just seconds, it penetrates at least three millimimeters below the surface of your skin. And, once there, that energy heats up molecules of water contained within your wart.
Why is that important? Well, human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus that causes plantar warts can hide behind those water molecules. So, when they're heated, the virus loses its protective shield. Now, your body's immune system can detect the presence of that unwelcome invader. Quickly, the immune system begins fighting the virus. And, for most patients, the ability to trigger an immune respose to warts means that Swift provides a permanent solution to these pesky skin leasions.
Now, Swift therapy won't cure your plantar warts after just one application. Instead, most patients need two or three applications. And these should be spaced apart by about a month or so. During your in-office applications, we'll target each of your warts with a short pulse. Afterward, we may need to cut away some of the dead wart tissue. In total, your visit shouldn't last more than 10 minutes. And, when we send you home for the day, your work is done until the next visit: treating plantar warts with Swift therapy does not require any after-care or the application of any additional medications.
But Will it Hurt?
Like we said before, treating plantar warts using traditional methods can be painful. But, once again, Swift manages to stand out from the crowd in this manner. Remember, the treatment lasts just seconds when applied to your wart. And, some people do say that Swift Therapy pulses cause minor discomfort. However, after treatment, you won't experience any lingering pain. Plus, you won't have to worry about blisters, wounds, dressings or any kind of post-treatment wart care. Instead, you can get back to your regularly scheduled activities right after we finish your treatment session. And, while you're going about your day, you can take satisfaction in knowing that your body is fighting those plantar warts!
Treating Plantar Warts without Pain? Choose Swift Therapy in Powder Springs
If you want a safe, comfortable, fast, and effective treatment for plantar warts, choose Swift Therapy at our Powder Springs podiatry practice. Need more convincing? Here are some additional reasons why this treatment option is one of the best available for warts that form on the bottom of your feet.
1. The treatment provides consistent results, each and every time thanks to our ability to control the bursts of low-level microwave energy.
2. Swift therapy provides completely sterile treatment options because the system is designed to work with a new applicator for each patient,.
3. Thanks to its FDA-approval, we know that Swift Therapy is a safe and medically sound treatment option for plantar warts. And it's available to virtually every patient, even young children and older adults.
4. Simplicity is also a key reason to choose this option for treating plantar warts since you won't have to deal with any wound care following a Swift session.
5. This treatment is virtually pain-free, so you won't need any injections or local anesthetics to make it through your Swift session. Plus, it's so effective that you won't need to explore any further treatment options in conjuction with your course of therapy.
Request a Swift Consultation with Dr. Alvin Cowans, Podiatrist in Powder Springs
If you notice any of the symptoms of a plantar wart, we urge you to contact the office right away. If you want to treat your plantar warts without pain, coming in sooner will prevent these lesions from growing in size or number, reducing the amount of pain you experience when walking.
Ready to put plantar warts permanently in your past? Call our office at 770-727-0614, or click here to request a consultation. When you come into the office, Dr. Cowans will evaluate your skin growths to confirm a wart diagnosis and rule out other concerns, including skin cancer of the foot. From there, he'll determine your best treatment option and help remove your warts as quickly and painlessly as possible.