Cryotherapy For Plantar Warts: 60 Days Post-Procedure Experience

What is a Plantar Wart?

A plantar wart, or verruca is a wart occurring on the bottom of the foot or toes. It is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). It appears to be similar to skin color with small black dots on it. Sometimes, it occurs one or more in an area and it may result in to pain. Risk factors include the use of communal showers, having had prior warts, and poor immune function.

---

A plantar wart misdiagnosed as a foot corn.

Admit it! There are times in our lives when we pretend to be medically expert that we diagnose our own sickness, may it be the cause of a fever or just a simple chest pain.

In my case, I have been complaining about a sharp pain that had occurred on my left sole which I thought to be a foot corn. It was my first time to have one actually but I was very confident that it was a corn. I even used corn pads containing salicylic acid to treat it! See how good doctor I am? Haha..

Since November 2020, I have been experiencing this pain especially when walking and jogging. And since then, I was just using corn pads and cushions to cover the area to at least relieve the pain temporarily.

On 21st of March 2021, I have decided to consult the doctor since it had been impeding my daily routine. It disrupted my daily run so I totally felt unhappy and unhealthy, especially nowadays during the pandemic when we really need to be physically active to avoid getting sick.

Check out my blog: 8 Health Benefits of A Daily 30-Minute Exercise

During my consultation, I was referred to a surgeon who confirmed my diagnosis, he said, “This is a wart, not a foot corn”, he then referred me to the Dermatologist, a skin specialist, who then advised me to have my wart treated immediately and not to wait further.

Causes of my wart?

I don’t know apparently. My roommates doesn’t have the same wart like I have so the cause shouldn’t be inside our shared bathroom floors, bed linens, etcetera. The doctor also told that there are various ways to get this kind of skin lesion. Hence, I am not so sure, but it may be from the lake which we recently camped out last November.

Winter in Dubai is actually the best time to camp with friends, enjoy the outdoors and watch the stars. So, we have this favorite camping site, where there is a slippery, muddy lake. We went there for several times to camp, however, there was one incident when I accidentally slipped and got some abrasions on my leg and foot. Unfortunately by some means, some unwanted organisms probably infected my wound that caused the development of my wart. So yeah, this is just my theory.

Check out my blog about this place: Why Saraya Island Can Be Your Best Camping Spot

---

What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy, also known as cryosurgery or cold therapy or cryoablation. It is the use of extreme cold to freeze and remove abnormal tissue. Cryotherapy may be used to treat a variety of tissue lesions and skin conditions such as warts and skin tags, as well as some kinds of cancer, including prostate, cervical and liver cancer.

How does it work?

During the procedure, the healthcare provider applies intense cold to abnormal tissue which causes the affected cells to die after treatment. Different substances are used to create the extreme cold needed for cryotherapy, and these includes: Liquid Nitrogen, Liquid Nitrous Oxide and Argon Gas.

• 

• 

• 

How long is the procedure?

It typically takes few minutes for the whole procedure.

As for me, it took a total of just less than 10 minutes. First, I was asked by the Dermatologist to lie on my back on the treatment bed while a nurse assisted him to hold my foot in place in case I suddenly make any movements. Then, he started treating my wart using liquid nitrogen. He diffused it directly to my wart in less than 1 minute I think, using a small tank with a small tube. By the way, there is no anesthetic agent used.

I tried my best not to move my foot, but the feeling was very uncomfortable. At first, it felt like some ice touching my skin but after several seconds, it felt like the ice was being thrashed inside my foot internally. Yes, it was painful and it was really cold. It lasted for maybe less than a minute and before I knew it, it was over. The nurse bandaged my foot using a sterile gauze, then, I walked out of the treatment room, but I stayed on the waiting area for 15 minutes before going home since it was painful to walk right after the procedure.

---

My Post-Procedure Experiences

Day 1

25 Mar 2021
A day after the procedure, the area was swelling with a huge blister. It was also very painful as if my foot was burnt with fire. I could describe it as a 1st or 2nd-degree-burn-pain, yet tolerable. I just can’t walk normally with my foot flat on the floor.

• 

• 

• 

---

Day 3

27 Mar 2021
I have observed that the swelling got darker, bigger and the area became wider. It looks like the blister was being filled up with an increasing amount of fluid inside. It also became more painful as time goes by. So, due to my curiosity on how to relieve the pain, I made an incision on the left part of the blister using a sterilized scissor. On boiling water, I soaked a sharp pair of scissors for few minutes and cut into my blister. It was totally painless since that layer on the foot is mostly made up of dead skin cells. However, please don’t do what I did as infection may occur.

Cutting into it made a small drainage which allowed most of the fluid to come out. And voila! The pain was truly relieved. From a scale of 10, it gone down to 4. Though, it was risky and I was hoping it wouldn’t get infected.

---

Day 13

6 Apr 2021
During the last few days, it was the same round blister from Day 3 with fluids that kept on coming out. But during this day, I tried to wear medium heels, and on my first step while putting pressure on my sole, the blister ruptured and all the fluid came out just like a squeezed lemon, though it was totally painless.

I genuinely took care of the affected area during this stage because I was afraid that infection might occur since the clear fluid coming out smelt like pus. I used to disinfect it using Antiseptic solution such as Betadine and Hydrogen Peroxide. I also apply antibiotic ointment called Fucidin cream which was prescribed by my Dermatologist. I wrapped it with bandage and casually change it from time to time to prevent bacteria from entering the blister.

---

Day 28

21 Apr 2021
This is how it looked after a day of removing the skin on top of it. I removed it because the top layer of the skin covering the blister was pealing off and I want it to air dry. It was completely painless and the smell was gone.

---

Day 30

23 Apr 2021
I kept on cleansing it with antiseptic solutions and cream yet I’m not wrapping it with gauze anymore. The area dried and a scab was forming.

---

Day 31

24 Apr 2021
The surrounding skin almost returned to its normal pinkish color while some part of the dried skin was feeling off. During this time, I don’t feel any pain at rest although I was still uncomfortable walking. I also postponed jogging to avoid putting pressure on the area to allow it to fully recover.

---

Day 33

26 Apr 2021
As days passed by, the area looks more normal than before. This time, I only applied the antibiotic cream especially before bedtime.

---

Day 34

27 Apr 2021
The scab looked like it was peeling off. It was so tempting to remove but it is highly important to let it fall off naturally to avoid recurrence of fresh wounds.

---

Day 46

7 May 2021
A part of the scab peeled off, one part of it was left and I think this was the part of the skin infected by the wart virus. It was the same part with the red dots on it and it hardened like it was frozen and died.

---

Day 54

15 May 2021
As I could walk comfortably during this time, I guess the last part of the scab went off by itself.

---

Day 60

21 May 2021
Now, the part of the skin affected by the Cryotherapy went back to its normal pinkish color. All the scabs are gone, the skin is smooth, and there’s no more painful wart! Everything went normal luckily. The doctor told few days after the surgery, there would be swelling; few weeks after, there would be scab and the skin may turn black; after a month, the wart should be gone. And if ever the wart redevelops, I have to visit him for a follow-up session of cryotherapy. Gladly, I won’t need another session as I can see that the wart is totally gone as if it was never there!

---

Conclusion

All I can say is that we really need to take care of ourselves especially when it comes to hygiene to avoid the development of skin diseases such as this kind of annoying warts. Infuriating because it appeared on an area which actually impedes my daily activities.

Nevertheless, Cryotheraphy with all things considered, is an amazing way to get rid of these kind of skin lesions. For me, it is indeed effective for removing a wart in one session. However, it would depend on how big and how deep the area is to determine the number of sessions one might require.

If you would be undergoing the same procedure as me, then I hope this blog would be helpful to you. Don’t panic, you’ll be fine!

---

Sources:

1. Cryotherapy by Wikipedia
2. Cryotherapy by Cleveland Clinic
3. Cryotherapy Image By Laser & Skin Clinics
4. Cryotherapy Image by Chennai Cosmetic Clinic

---

First Aid Guide: Food Poisoning
Canker Sore Remedies And Prevention
Foot Corn: Causes, Treatment And Prevention
Beer Belly: Causes And How To Get Rid of it Forever
Things You Need To Know About Hyperacidity: Prevention And Treatment