Welcome to the Website of

Dr. Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS

 Thank you for visiting my website. I have been placing information and articles on this site for many years and have received millions of  hits during that time (and not that many of them were mine). I have designed it for people who like to read about their foot and ankle problems. Since I started the web site, I have added two associates to my practice, Dr. Darren Payne and Dr. Stephen Benson.  Since my site is filled with just my thoughts and opinions they are not, necessarily, shared by my colleagues. To see our less controversial (and less windy) practice web site, I offer you: www.ConejoFeet.com, the practice site for The Agoura Los Robles Podiatry Centers (ALRPC). The ALRPC practice site has a lot of material about our office, many of our policies and the registration forms to be filled out before your visit. I suggest all prospective patients visit www.ConejoFeet.com.

 I made the web site to give my patients the extra depth information that I don’t always have time to cover in the office visit. Visitors who are not my patients are welcome to browse the information found here. My younger colleagues are both under 50 and they, like many their age, do not favor in depth reading. They prefer their information presented to them in a few short, crisp bullet points. I, being of the, ahem, older generation, like to read about my ailments in greater depth. Here, I present the greater depth. If you ask a question about heel pain or bunions that I have not answered in my two monographs, I will quickly add it so that it is as complete as I can make it. If you agree with this philosophy, welcome to my page. If you correspond with me please let me know if you like the in depth reporting.

 Remember, this site is in no way intended to tell you how your own ailment or problem should be treated, only the approach I use when confronted with certain situations. Your problem may well be different from what you think it is and should always be evaluated by the appropriate professional, whether podiatrist, orthopedist or other authority. Please understand that I, nor anyone else, can offer you a proper diagnosis or treatment plan without seeing and feeling the problem at hand (foot?).  Happy reading.

 Sincerely, Michael Zapf, DPM, MPH, FACFAS, FACFAOM

 P.S. All the information in this web site is © by me and it is mine alone. No picture or any of the articles cannot be used by anyone without permission from me, personally.

01/08/2012

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Hi Doctor,

Saw your web site about surgical wart removal. I have some questions:
1) After the anesthesia wears off after the surgery, will there be great pain at the site, because a chunk of skin/flesh was removed?  How long will the pain last?
2) After the wound heals, will the skin/flesh grow back to completely fill the hole, or will there be a permanent hole and permanent left-over sensation when walking on that spot?

Thank you!

Dear Perl,

I know, the pictures on the wart excision site looks very dramatic. However, the good news is that there is very little pain from a wart excision as long as there is not much pressure on the wound. Unlike surgical incisions on the bottom of the foot which require the patient to be totally non-weight bearing to reduce scarring, or excisions do not go through or "violate", as we say, the under layer of the skin called the dermis. Keeping the dermis intact both prevents significant scarring and keeps the incision from hurting more than, say, just a blister. It is not painless but it is not very painful. Also, because we do not violate the dermis, there is very little scarring. Most of the time, if you look very closely, you can see for years where the wart used to be but this car is very thin and without discoloration. Over time it virtually disappears. In my practice I recommend that my patience not participate in basketball, racquetball or tennis for an entire week. With a small aperture pad, however, they could go back to work or school the very next day. If the wart is not on a weight bearing surface and the restrictions are even less. I hope this helps.

Dr. Michael Zapf

P.S. The dramatic pictures she was referring to are here  (double click) è

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Copyright © 2000 Michael A. Zapf, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., F.A.C.F.AOA.M.
Last modified: January 08, 2012