Verrucae Treatments

Verrucae are warts that occur on the soles of the feet or on your toes. They may look flat with black dots within their surface, and can be painful. Verruca are formed as a result of the Human Papilloma Virus which infects the epidermis of the skin and therefore does not stimulate a systemic response from the body. 

At Footworks we provide a range of treatments for verrucae including Swift microwave, cryotherapy which is using liquid nitrogen, verruca needling, Verrutop and other treatments including acid treatments.

Cryotherapy 

Cryotherapy involves using Liquid Nitrogen is a treatment option that has been around for many years. Cryotherapy involves destroying the viral cells by freezing the skins cells which then rupture, releasing the antigens which make up the virus into the blood stream. Once the virus is in the blood stream it is recognised by the immune system and an immune response is triggered to fight off the infection.

Needling

Needling is a treatment which uses a sterile needle to produce localised trauma at the site of a stubborn, recurring verrucae. The treatment which is performed by a podiatrist under local anaesthetic is an alternative to other treatments such as cryotherapy which work by creating a chemical breakdown of local tissues.

Although verruca needling is one of the more effective treatment methods (a recent randomised controlled trial stated it was 69% effective). 

Needling works by causing what is known as a cell-mediated immune response at the affected area.  The needling treatment pushes the viral cells into the dermal layer of the skin, aiming to trigger an immune response which targets the verrucae directly. The antibodies that are produced as a result of this mean that the lesion than begins to deteriorate and regress before eventually disappearing.

Following the procedure, it can still take up to 6 months for the verruca to clear, as this is how long the immune reaction can take to be triggered. If the verruca has not cleared at this follow up, a second needling procedure may need to be performed.

Verrutop

Verrutop is a relatively new medication which is used for the treatment of verrucae and warts. It uses a Nitrizinc complex which is applied to the verruca/wart. Verrutop works by drying and desiccating the lesions, which aids cell death. This aids reduction and usually subsequent removal of the verruca.