WHAT IS A VERRUCA?
A verruca is caused by the human papilloma virus which forms a wart on the sole of the foot. The virus can gain access to the skin and is often caused from a break in the skin especially if the area is wet. Verruca’s are very contagious and are passed from direct contact from the active viral area. The body will recognise the virus at some point and they will resolve, but this can sometimes take years. If the verruca is painful, or is causing distress, a podiatrist can help by using certain treatments, however, we cannot guarantee the treatment will work. The treatments that we use are designed to cause trauma to the area so this can accelerate the immunity response from the body to recognise the virus and attack the lesion.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING TREATMENT FOR A VERRUCA?
The treatments that we use are salicylic acid 60%, silver nitrate and cryotherapy. Usually treatments are every 2 to 4 weeks. We are unable to give a time limit on these treatments as verruca’s can be very difficult to resolve.