Local Life - Wigan - March 2020

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Top Tips for
Verruca Treatment
By Dr Daisy Mae
Gruesome, miserable, nasty, painful –
common words used when people describe
their verruca. But what is a verruca? Where
do they come from? What should you if you
have one?
A verruca is a wart which is growing on
your foot – officially termed a ‘plantar wart’
– and it’s caused by the Human Papilloma
Virus (HPV).
Surprisingly, it’s estimated that 14% of
the UK population have verrucas, most
commonly in children aged twelve to fourteen
years.
The HPV virus lives happily for long periods on
damp floors, such as those around swimming pools
or communal showers, and is also spread easily if
you share socks or towels with anyone affected.
The virus enters the skin and then travels into the
deeper layers. It causes keratinisation – keratin is
the hard protein in hair, skin and nails – which is
why warts feel hard to the touch.
Although 80% of verrucas regress spontaneously
over two years, they can be persistent and resist
treatment. The virus is adept at escaping detection
by your body’s immune system.
Diagnosis
A verruca is a single, slightly raised patch anywhere
on the sole of the foot. The skin may be pale,
yellowy/skin-coloured or have a cobblestoned
appearance, sometimes with some central black
dots.
Verrucas are sometimes painful when pressure
is applied, for example when you walk or if you
squeeze them between finger and thumb.
If in doubt, see your doctor. Very rarely, skin cancers
can occur on the feet.
Management without treatment
The first step is to take good care of your foot/feet
so that you minimise pain and avoid spreading the
virus, both on your own feet and to others (see
panel).
If you’re generally healthy and not in pain, it’s worth
doing nothing as most veruccas will disappear
spontaneously.
However, note that you should seek medical help if
you have diabetes or a weakened immune system
e.g. HIV infection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc.
Active treatments
If you decide that your verucca can’t just be left
to recover by itself, there are forty-one recognised
wart treatments. These either destroy local virusinfected
tissue, kill the virus, stop it reproducing, or
stimulate your body’s immune response.
First Choice Treatment: Salicylic Acid (SA)
SA kills off the outer skin layers, causing them to
peel away. It also helps the immune system detect
the virus.