Verruca Removal: Professional Treatments vs Over-the-Counter Solutions
If you’ve ever had a verruca, you know just how frustrating they can be. These small, stubborn lesions can pop up on anytime and stick around for what feels like forever!
So, what’s the best way to get rid of them, and which verruca treatments work? Should you try over-the-counter (OTC) remedies, or would professional procedures be the better route?
We’re here to break it down to help you decide:
What Exactly Are Verrucas?
Caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a verruca is just a wart that appears on your foot. They can be small or large and they often have a rough, bumpy texture, sometimes with little black dots (blood vessels) inside. They usually appear on the soles of your feet, but can also form on our toes, or even in between your toes.
While some verrucas eventually go away on their own, they can be annoyingly persistent. This is because HPV stays in the outer layer of your skin, making it hard for your body to detect and fight the virus. But don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to tackle them.
Professional Treatments: More Power, Less Fuss
If you want a quicker fix, professional verruca treatments are a great option. At The Forest Foot and Health Clinic, we offer a few highly effective solutions like Swift microwave therapy, Faulknor’s Needling, Verrutop, and Cryotherapy. Let’s explore how these work:
Swift Microwave Therapy
Swift Microwave Verruca Treatment is a pretty clever procedure that uses microwave energy to zap the wart and trigger your body’s immune system to fight off the virus. Instead of just removing the wart itself, Swift gets your immune system to do the hard work. Each session only takes a few seconds per verruca, and you’ll usually need three sessions spaced a month apart.
After that, you’ll come in for a free of charge review to check how things are going. Swift is one of the most successful treatments available, and not to brag, but we’ve had an impressive 86% success rate with it!
Faulknor’s Needling
This treatment (carried out under local anaesthetic) also has an extremely high success rate. Under sterile conditions, we numb the area (often using a Needleless Injector which administers the anaesthetic through the skin) and we then test the site to check the area is numb. We then use a sterile needle to physically push the virus into the deeper layers of the skin in order for the body to detect the virus and activate the immune system to eradicate it. We see the verrucae 1 week, 8 weeks and 16 weeks post procedure and all follow up appointments are included in the cost of the treatment.
Verrutop
Verrutop is a fantastic, pain-free choice. This is a topical solution applied directly to the verruca and it works by dehydrating the infected cells so they die off and eventually fall away. You’ll probably need around six sessions to fully clear the verruca, but it’s a gentle process and doesn’t involve any discomfort whatsoever. This treatment can be used on children aged 6 upwards.
Cryopen (Cryotherapy)
Cryotherapy is another popular, effective verruca treatment that involves freezing the wart with a tool called Cryopen. The great thing about Cryopen is its precision - it freezes the wart without harming the healthy skin around it. We do not know how many sessions will be required, so for longer standing or larger verrucae alternatives such as Swift and Needling may be recommended and can be more financially viable. The best part is you can get right back to your normal activities (yes, even swimming or showering) after treatment.
Verrucas might be persistent, but they’re not invincible.
Our podiatrists have over 20 years of experience in treating verrucas. If you’re not sure what treatment to choose, book a consultation with our specialists to find the best option for you. Click here or call 02380 814903 to book an appointment at New Forest podiatry clinic.