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Verrucae are a form of a wart which appears on your foot which can be described as a lump of hard skin that develops as a result of a virus. They are caused by a form of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Much of the time, they are painless, but sometimes, if they form around a nerve, a joint, a bony location or the local skin gets damage, pressure and friction can create a kind of soreness or burning type feeling. If you have ever had a verrucae you will know exactly what this feels like.

A verrucae is different to a corn, a corn is essentially a lump of hard skin (also described as a form of localised hyperkeratosis) that gets pressed back into the body from pressure and friction. You can safely remove the corn with a scalpel. With a verrucae, as the virus infects the body, we see a local lump of skin cells form due to the presence of the virus which keeps replicating itself within cells of the body. We could look at it like this, it remains until the immune system notices it is there or a treatment it is applied to help its eventual removal.

The most commonly asked question is, how can I manage a verrucae. The simple answer is, there are treatments, but not essentially cures. Treatments usually involve a swift response by the immune system to irradicate the verrucae. Here are a list of just some of the treatment options that can looked into.

1. Leaving the verrucae to go by itself and at the very most, Smoothing the skin if it is causing discomfort. This is one option, often called spontaneous remission however the older you get, the slower the body is likely to self manage.
2. Salicylic treatments. We are able to offer over counter products containing Salicylic acid, have been known to be effective in treating over around a 12 week period.
3. Cryotherapy. This is where you use short bursts of cold therapy such as with a Cryopen, to treat the verrucae. Usually two or three treatments are required to stimulate the immune system locally to manage the verrucae.
4. Lazer. Lazer therapy is a form of heat therapy that may have some success in treating verrucae – it works by stimulating the immune system.
5. Microwave therapy. This hot therapy of the microwave, stimulates the immune system.

At Coastal Podiatry we will be offering salicylic treatments for verrucae.

Sandbanks Clinic location .

Appointments 07748 142169 and 01202 74889

info@coastalpodiatry.co.uk

Location – Sandbanks Clinc, 46 Commercial Road, Poole BH14 OHU

Further Reading

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/warts-and-verrucas

https://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/healthy-skin/warts-and-verrucas

https://rcpod.org.uk/common-foot-problems/verrucae

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/warts-and-verrucas