Objective To investigate the effect of liquid nitrogen cryotherapy combined with salicylic acid ointment on clinical symptoms and skin healing in patients with palmoplantar wart. Methods The clinical data of 80 patients with palmoplantar wart who visited the Department of Dermatology, Pudong New Area Yangjing Community Health Service Center and the Third People's Hospital of Anji County from December 2023 to October 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. According to different treatment methods, they were divided into the control group (n =40) and the observation group (n =40). The control group was treated with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, and the observation group was treated with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy combined with salicylic acid ointment. The clinical efficacy, clinical symptom scores, skin healing effect and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 97.50%, which was higher than 82.50% in the control group (P <0.05). After treatment, the pain degree, the number of warts and the maximum diameter of skin lesions in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P <0.05). The recovery of dermatoglyphics, hypertrophic scars and pigmentation in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 5.00%, which was lower than 22.50% in the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion Compared with simple liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, liquid nitrogen cryotherapy combined with salicylic acid ointment can more effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients, promote skin healing, and has good clinical efficacy and safety.