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Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

To reduce your risk of plantar warts:

  • Avoid direct contact with warts. This includes your own warts.
  • Keep your feet clean and dry. Change your shoes and socks daily.
  • Don't go barefoot in public areas. Wear sandals or flip-flops in public pools and locker rooms.
  • Don't pick at warts. Picking may spread the virus.
  • Don't use the same file, pumice stone or nail clipper on your warts as you use on your healthy skin and nails.
  • Wash your hands carefully after touching your warts.
Alternative medicine
References
  1. Warts. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_warts.html. Accessed March 4, 2011.
  2. Androphy E, et al. Warts. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2958209. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
  3. Warts, herpes simplex, and other viral infections. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 5th ed. Edinburgh, U.K.; New York, N.Y.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..X0001-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
  4. Your guide to diabetes: Type 1 and type 2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/YourGuide2Diabetes.pdf. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
  5. Goldstein BG, et al. Cutaneous warts. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 4, 2011.
  6. Gibbs S, et al. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006:CD001781. http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews. Accessed March 4, 2011.
  7. Aldara (prescribing information). Loughborough, U.K.: 3M Health Care Limited; 2010. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2010/020723s022lbl.pdf. Accessed Feb. 24, 2011.
  8. Podophyllum. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed March 2, 2011.
DS00509 May 3, 2011

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