Warts and Plantar Warts
When To Call a Doctor
See your health professional if:
- You are not sure whether a skin growth is a wart. If you are older than age 60 and have never had warts, consider seeing your family doctor or other health professional to check for skin cancer.
- Non-prescription home treatment is not successful after 2 to 3 months.
- Warts are growing or spreading rapidly despite treatment.
- Signs of bacterial infection develop, including:
- Increased pain, swelling, redness, tenderness, or heat.
- Red streaks extending from the area.
- Discharge of pus.
- Fever of 38°C (100°F) or higher with no other cause.
- A plantar wart becomes too painful to walk on.
- You have diabetes or peripheral arterial disease and you need treatment for a wart on a leg or foot.
- You have warts on your genitals or around the anus. For more information, see the topic Genital Warts.
Watchful Waiting
Watchful waiting is a period of time during which you and your health professional observe your symptoms or condition without using medical treatment. It is often appropriate treatment for warts, because they generally go away on their own within months or years.2 However, you may want to consider treating a wart to prevent it from spreading to other parts of your body or to other people. You can try a non-prescription wart treatment for 2 to 3 months before deciding to see a health professional.
Who To See
Your family doctor or general practitioner can diagnose and treat warts. You may be referred to a specialist, such as a dermatologist or a podiatrist.
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Sabra L. Katz-Wise Ralph Poore | Last Updated: January 10, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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