Plantar warts are caused by certain variants of the human papillomavirus (HPV). In fact, these HPV strains aren’t spread easily from one person to another. They need a suitable environment, one that’s warm and moist, just like you’d find around a swimming pool or locker room. That’s why walking barefoot in such areas isn’t advisable. The virus enters your body through small tears in the skin of your feet. Your body weight presses down on the entry point, causing it to thicken and become callused as the wart grows deeper into the skin. Warts aren’t a major health threat, but the calluses can be uncomfortable, and the virus, once entrenched, can spread to other locations. In addition, you may have some pain and/or minor bleeding at the site. HPV is pretty much an “equal opportunity” invader, but those at the most risk are children and teenagers (who aren’t as careful about foot care), immunocompromised individuals, people who’ve had an HPV infection before, and, of course, anyone who walks barefoot in a public locker room.
Having plantar warts means you have a viral infection. Even viruses that aren’t particularly contagious are still masters of replicating themselves, so you may go from having a single, uncomfortable wart to a bunch at one time. And being infected makes you more vulnerable to becoming re-infected. Warts that cause you pain or other discomfort can have widespread consequences. It’s natural to shift the way you walk to avoid putting weight on the uncomfortable wart. However, that alters your body mechanics, which may lead to developing additional pain in your feet, legs, and even your back. Removing plantar warts can help you avoid all these problems. Most warts eventually clear up by themselves, but it can take about two years, which is pretty long to wait, especially if you’re having symptoms. A GoLaser PL-1064 is a treatment used to remove warts. The light heats up the tiny blood vessels inside the wart, destroying them. Without blood, the wart can’t survive and falls off. The laser’s heat may also target the virus that causes the wart. The treatment is every two weeks until the wart is gone.
The GoLaser PL-1064 is also a treatment that is used for the clearance of fungal nails by penetrating the nail and destroying the fungus embedded in and under the nail plate. By destroying the fungus and with proper hygiene this allows a clear, healthy nail to grow. It takes about 3-6 months for this new healthy nail to grow. The laser procedure to do all 10 nails takes about 20 minutes. It is done three times, first visit then the second procedure is done 1 month later, and the last one is done at 3 months to make sure all the fungus is gone. No anesthesia is required and the patients describe just a warm sensation on their toes when the laser is in use. The laser procedure is done in the office.