Treatments for verrucae
The trouble with verrucas is that they are notoriously tricky to treat. There’s no magic solution. Here at Stillorgan Podiatry Clinic, we deal with them day in and day out.
Our main aim during treatment is to help your body to realise there’s something on the bottom of your foot that doesn’t belong there. This helps kick your immune system into action, attacking the virus from the inside while we apply treatment to the outside.
Everyone knows the old wives tales; from duct tape to banana skins to dipping the area into a verruca well. At Stillorgan Podiatry Clinic we prefer to follow the research. Here are some tried and tested treatments including what the research says:
1.Over the Counter Remedies
Naturally, the first port of call is head to the chemist and see what ‘off the shelf’ treatment is available, give it a go to see will it budge the stubborn verruca. Off the shelf treatments include gels, sprays or creams. Usually these treatments do not contain the appropriate percentage of ingredients to optimise their ability to get rid of the verruca. They can be painfully slow and with very little success.
In some cases, they can actually cause more problems than solving them. This is due to the acidic nature of some products. It cannot identify the healthy tissue
from the bad so it attacks everything. Best to cover the healthy skin with a plaster or cut a hole the size of the verruca out of a plaster and apply the product directly in the cut out to the verruca. This will help to protect the healthy skin.
2. Freezing Your Verruca – Cryotherapy….. Too Painful For Me !
This is one of the most common forms of treatment and probably one that nearly everyone knows or heard about. Cryotherapy (Freezing) is when liquid nitrogen is used to freeze off your verruca. Theoretically, it freezes ‘off’ the skin cells the verruca forms, scabs over, and eventually falls off. Sounds easy? Well, in between visits you might need to do some work at home by re-applying over the counter products and then go back to the GP for a few more rounds of it before any (or if any) real progress is made.
Honestly, it is not the most pleasant thing in the world - having over -300 degrees of liquid shot against your skin by a cryogun for a few seconds. It can be quite painful and sensitive especially on the location of the verruca
.Overall, the success rate for this treatment is very poor. Some studies show that it has only a 20% success rate! What's the point of going through that pain if you only have a 20% chance of getting rid of it?? No thank you!
3. Salicylic Acid …..Make Sure You Have Lots of Free Time & Patience!
This form of treatment is probably the most common treatment used by Podiatrists
across all clinics. Most clinics will treat your verruca with weekly applications of
Acid/cream and padding. You might think that you can get this over the counter?
Yes you can but only a certain percentage of it and it is usually between 10-15%.
At Stillorgan Podiatry Clinic, we use salicylic acid which is over 60%. Why you may ask? Well - it's an acid, so we want to cause a disruption to the verruca on the outside. Then hopefully your body will start attacking from the inside. Keeping the bandage dry between appointments is paramount. If you choose this option, this is what’s in store:
Approximately 4 appointments one week apart.
You will have a dressing on your foot for a few days.
You must keep your feet and dressing dry between appointments.
Your Podiatrist will advise you at each appointment what he/she wants you to do.
It takes time, so patience is key in getting rid of verrucae.
If this is something you want to get advice on, Call Stillorgan Podiatry Clinic today and book in with our experienced Podiatrists.
You can call us on (01) 516 0044
Or alternatively, you can book your appointment online on stillorganpodiatry