Verruca - Do I have One?
Verruca - Some need to know information about these troublesome Lesions!
We have seen many new patients in the clinic recently presenting with verruca. Verruca are caused by a virus know as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), they can be very painful, frustrating and can linger for many months or even years!
This blog will try to help you understand the nature and presentation of a verruca and also the potential treatment options available to you.
Know as a plantar wart, verruca is a non-cancerous skin growth. It typically appears on the bottom of the foot but can also appear around the toe and even under the nails. They are contagious and spread via direct contact with the virus such as walking barefoot in a changing room or around a swimming pool. They enter the skin though breeches in the skin which are often microscopic so you don’t even know they are there.
They appear as rough raised bumps and on closer inspection can look like the head of a cauliflower with tiny black dots within it. They vary in size from tiny to more than 1cm. We often see multiple lesions close together too, these are known as mosaic verruca. Due to the amount of hard skin that builds up on them they can be very painful especially when walking or running.
Treating a verruca varies on a number of factors including age, duration, location and general health. It is important to acknowledge that the effective treatment of a verruca relies on a person’s immune system to recognise the virus and help destroy it, so good general health plays a vital role in managing these lesions. There is no one type of treatment 100% guaranteed to rid you of a verruca but some common treatment methods include:
- Over-the-counter products. There are a vast number of products available via your local pharmacy such as acid based products, gels and freeze sprays for topical application. Closely following the manufacturers instructions is strongly recommended in order to avoid damage to local healthy tissue when using these types of products.
- Natural remedies such as occlusion therapies (duct tape) are favoured by some. They have very little scientific evidence to support them but some people find them beneficial.
- Dehydration therapies such as strong topical acids or microwave therapy delivered by healthcare professionals.
- Needling or surgical extraction. Carried out under local anaesthetic and under strict consultation with a suitable healthcare professional.
It is really important to seek the advice of a healthcare professional BEFORE attempting any treatment of a suspected verruca, firstly to determine if indeed it is a verruca and not something else such as a foreign body or corn, but also to help decide what might be the best course of action based on your circumstances.
At York Podiatry we offer a variety of treatments including dehydration via the use of chemicals but our most popular and effective treatment is the use of needling under local anaesthetic.
If you would like to know more about the services we offer check out our website or give us a call, our admin team are more than happy to talk you through our options.
Tel: York - 01904 789763/ Selby - 01757 704747
