Verruca (plantar warts)

The virus is contagious and is often transmitted in areas of public use where people are bare foot, such as locker rooms and swimming pool areas. It enters the skin in areas of mechanical abrasion or trauma.

As the source of the problem is a virus, it is your own immune system which will fight it off. However, the majority of treatments are designed to cause trauma to the area infected, which causes your immune system to target the area. Treatments fall into the following areas: mild chemical burns (salicylic acid, Silver Nitrate), freezing, heat (laser treatment), Swift, needling which is sometimes called Falknor Needling, or complementary therapies.

Here at Podiatry and Gait Clinic, we manually remove the old dead skin and as much of the verruca as possible, then apply a clinically tested topical treatments - Verrutop . This is much stronger and more effective than the treatments you may buy from over the counter in a pharmacy. This method helps destroy the viral protein and desiccates the wart tissue, which then falls off the skin, leaving intact skin underneath. This is normally less painful than using treatments such as salicylic acid, and needling which can be rather unpleasant.

1. Always keep your feet covered when you are in a communal area (e.g. sports changing room or swimming baths changing areas and showers).

2. If you have any broken skin on your feet, always keep it covered with a waterproof elastoplast. This will keep it clean and help prevent many infections.

3. Never use anyone else's shoes or towels.

- Have it examined by a registered podiatrist / chiropodist or your doctor.

- Once it's been correctly diagnosed, have it treated and monitor it for any increase in size or colour.

- Keep it covered at all times to prevent spreading it to other people.

- Do not share your shoes or towels with anyone else.

- If it becomes larger, more painful or changes colour, contact your podiatrist or doctor immediately.