Q. I had a plantar wart on my heel. The dermatologist had her nurse scrape off the top of it and then painted it with beetle juice.
The beetle juice destroyed the wart, but a month later now I still have a painful heel. It feels like I’m walking on a thorn. Will it ever stop hurting?
A. Blister beetle juice (cantharidin) has been used to treat warts for decades. This compound is also known as Spanish fly and was mistakenly thought to be an aphrodisiac.
Cantharidin causes a blister that often cures warts, but the initial reaction may be painful. The discomfort should have disappeared by now, however. Please contact your dermatologist so she can evaluate what is going on.
