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Plantar Warts: A Promising New At-home, Painless Treatment

A painless, do-it-yourself (DYI) treatment for refractory plantar warts may sound too good to be true, but recent research suggests it could be a surprisingly effective option. Given the limitations of many traditional wart treatments, this simple at-home approach is generating excitement at SkinCare Physicians. Here is what our expert dermatologist, Dr. Travers, think about this emerging therapy and whether it may be worth trying.

Understanding plantar warts and traditional treatments

Plantar warts are one of the most common skin infections that we treat here at SkinCare Physicians. Caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), they develop on the soles of the feet and can grow to be quite painful, especially with walking or athletic activities.

Many of the most common treatments share the same intent: trying to destroy the skin cells that are infected by the wart virus. Whether you use a chemical treatment like Compound W, or we freeze warts with liquid nitrogen or vaporize them with a laser, these approaches are effective but can be painful and require multiple office visits.

A recent paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Saturated saline immersion for the treatment of refractory plantar warts: An open-label, one-arm, single-center trial, has suggested a simple, painless at-home treatment that offers an exciting alternative.

The saturated saline soaks’ remarkable results

Saturated saline immersion does exactly what it sounds like: you soak the affected feet in water that has been mixed with as much salt as it is possible to dissolve.

For comparison, normal saline solutions, like the ones used in IV fluids or in contact lens products contain about 0.9% salt. The homemade saturated saline solution has closer to 35%-40% salt! This high salt concentration creates a very inhospitable environment for the warts.

The study looked at 17 patients with refractory plantar warts, warts that failed to respond to other standard treatments. These patients were instructed to soak their feet in saturated saline for 30 minutes daily over 8 weeks. The results were pretty spectacular:

• 3% of warts cleared completely
• 88% of patients achieved full remission
• No recurrences were seen in the 6-month follow up period

How to make a saturated saline solution at home

A saturated saline solution is made by stirring as much table salt (sodium chloride) to warm water until no more salt dissolves. It can be prepared in a basin or foot bath with enough warm water to cover the affected area. You’ll need to stir and stir and stir until some of the salt remains settled at the bottom and can no longer be dissolved: that is the sign that the solution is completely saturated.

Patients should soak the foot with plantar wart for 30 minutes daily for 8 weeks as instructed in the research.

Important considerations before you start

While the results are very encouraging, there are a few drawbacks to keep in mind!

• The treatment was studied only on plantar warts, and we don’t know if it can be used on other areas of the body.
• It’s time consuming! 30 minutes daily sounds easy until you actually try to find time in your day to do it. This is especially challenging for teenagers for whom carving out 30 minutes to soak their feet daily may seem like an impossibility.
• The treatment requires A LOT of salt! To prepare a medium size soak of 4 cups of solution, you will need about 1.5 cups of salt. If you do decide to embark on this course of therapy, buy your salt in bulk!

When to check with your dermatologist first

Before trying this DIY treatment, you should see your dermatologist if:

• You have diabetes, poor circulation, wounds on the feet or skin breakdown, to get a closer evaluation.
• You are unsure whether you have plantar warts vs another kind of skin bump and need a precise diagnosis.

In either case, please give SkinCare Physicians’ office a call at 617 731-1600 to schedule an appointment before beginning the saline solution treatment for plantar warts!