Getting Rid of Your Warts with Canthacur® and Salicylic Acid

Warts are frustrating and embarrassing. They can appear anywhere, but most often on the face, hands, and feet. 

These growths can also be challenging to eliminate without professional intervention.

Dr. Hai-En Peng knows warts are painful, particularly those on the soles of the feet. That’s why he offers several treatment options, including prescription-strength topical agents like Canthacur® and salicylic acid.

If you have a troublesome wart, here are two highly effective solutions Dr. Peng offers at Align Foot & Ankle Center in Camarillo.

The problem with warts

Before exploring treatment options, it’s helpful to understand why warts are problematic.

These growths form because of his skin infection, specifically the human papillomavirus (HPV). This highly contagious virus triggers an infection by entering the skin through a tiny break or cut.

Once infected, the skin develops a growth. They can vary in appearance, including domed, flat, or rough. Similarly, they can be brown, black, gray, or skin-colored.

Since a virus causes warts, they often clear up on their own once your immune system fights the infection. However, they’re also highly contagious — meaning they can easily spread to different parts of your body or to other people. Some are also unsightly and painful.

As a result, Dr. Peng recommends expert treatment, especially if you have a condition that puts your feet at risk, like diabetes.

Treating warts

As a skilled podiatrist, Dr. Peng specializes in treating plantar warts — a specific type of wart that develops on the feet. 

In most cases, these growths form on the balls and heels of the feet — areas of the body that bear the most pressure. Additional signs of a plantar wart include:

• A callous or thickened area of skin
• Growths with black pinpoints, known as wart seeds
• Clusters of warts on the sole
• Tenderness or pain while standing or walking

In most cases, Dr. Peng can successfully treat these problem growths with prescription-strength topicals, like Canthacur and salicylic acid.

Canthacur

This topical medication causes a blister to form on the growth, which lifts the wart off the skin. After a few days, the wart dries up and falls off.

Dr. Peng usually uses Canthacur in combination with other treatment methods. 

Salicylic acid

Unlike over-the-counter wart treatments containing salicylic acid, Dr. Peng uses a prescription-strength formula to eliminate warts.

With this option, you apply the topical medication to the wart at home each day — removing the wart one layer at a time. This treatment also gives your immune system a boost, which helps it fight the viral infection.

For stubborn warts that don’t respond to Canthacur or salicylic acid, Dr. Peng could recommend additional methods, like cryotherapy (freezing), laser treatment, immunotherapy, or minor surgery.

Located in Camarillo, California, finding solutions for foot problems — includingpainful or unsightly warts is easy. Contact Align Foot & Ankle Center to learn more about your treatment options by calling 805-360-4511 or booking online today.