“Plantar” means “Of the sole” in Latin. Unlike other types of warts, plantar warts are typically quite painful as the pressure from walking and standing forces them to grow into your skin. Like all warts, Plantar warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus, specifically types 1, 2, 4, 60, and 63. Underneath the skin, the wart can have finger-like roots that reach down and grow, making them very difficult to treat effectively from the surface.
Plantar warts are difficult to treat and traditional methods, such as cryotherapy, are often painful and require multiple sessions. In complex cases, these options may not even be effective. The Swift® device uses state-of-the-art technology to deliver precise, highly controlled microwave energy into the problem area of the skin. This works to stimulate the patient’s body into a healing response and treat plantar warts at their source. This virtually painless procedure is a quick, clean, and non-invasive option with little or no recovery time.
Swift is a cutting edge, FDA Cleared technology that has proven to be highly effective in the removal of plantar warts. It delivers low dose microwave energy through a specialized probe that targets and effectively treats the underlying HPV virus by stimulating a natural immune response in the body. We like to say that we’re addressing the root cause; not the symptom.
Swift protocol involves between 3 and 4 treatments, spaced 4 weeks apart; aligning with the body’s natural immune cycle. Each treatment lasts only 5-10 minutes and is what we call a “sock off - sock on” treatment: Limited debridement, no breaking of the skin, no bandages. No home treatment is required between treatments and patients are able to resume daily activities immediately post treatment.
Due to Swift harnessing the power of the patient’s immune system to target the root cause of the wart (HPV), efficacy is significantly higher compared to other treatment methods.
While pain is variable and patient/lesion specific, most patients typically feel some level of discomfort as infected tissue temperatures are rapidly elevated over a 2 second dose of energy. The pain immediately subsides following cessation of energy delivery and there is very limited post procedural pain, in fact some report an immediate reduction in pain levels. All patients are about to continue on with day-to-day activities immediately following treatment.
Immune therapy, though effective at treating plantar warts, has conventionally relied on medications or injections on the site of the affected tissue. The Swift device offers several benefits in treating the root cause of plantar warts. Chief benefits include: