Verruca Treatments
TREATMENTS
Verruca is a contagious virus that seems to thrive in damp conditions such as swimming pools, showers and bathrooms. The common treatments for verruca are gels or ointments from the chemist. However, these treatments can burn the surrounding skin if not used with care.
Verrucas can hide successfully from being detected by your immune system. It is important to maintain a strong immune system in order for any verruca treatment to be successful. However, we also need to inform the body that the verruca virus has invaded our skin.
No verruca treatment is guaranteed. Success depends on a number of factors such as age of the patient, location, type and subtype of the HPV virus (verruca), immune system status and many more.
In the majority of cases, a course of minimum 6 treatments is normally required (cryotherapy or acids), especially if you have had verrucas for longer than 2 years. If your verrucas are treated by Swift therapy, a course of 3 sessions is usually recommended. The podiatrist will assess the nature and type of verrucas you have and discuss a management plan according to your needs.
SWIFT – NEW BREAKTHROUGH TREATMENT FOR VERRUCAS
Swift is a new technology, developed in the UK, which has been licensed for the general treatment of skin lesions in Podiatry and Dermatology. It uses microwave energy which is delivered through a special probe applied to the skin to treat the affected tissue. It also treats warts on the hands and is suitable for adults and children. The main benefit is, unlike many of the alternative treatments, that there is no need for any anaesthetic or dressings and you can continue your normal activities straight away.
The microwave energy is delivered directly to the verruca at a predetermined depth. This means that, unlike other treatments, there is no damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. It heats the skin by around 4 degrees, targeting the water molecules and destroying the infected viral cells.
DOES IT HURT?
It is not uncommon for patients to feel a sharp sensation, like stepping on a lego! Unlike most treatments for verruca, pain felt during the treatment quickly subsides. In some cases, the treated area may feel a little tender but will not prevent you undertaking normal daily activities. Most people experience no pain after the treatment at all.
HOW SUCCESSFUL IS VERRUCA TREATMENT?
Unlike other treatments available (acids, cryotherapy, needling), swift® targets the cells which cause the verruca. This creates an immune response. Because of this, it has the highest success rate of all the treatments available.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS WILL I NEED?
This is dependent on how you respond to treatment. In some cases, you may need more than three sessions (these are usually 4 weeks apart depending on the response). Your podiatrist will be able to discuss this with you.
Please Note: Other Treatments for verrucae / verruca are available include cryosurgery (freezing) or the use of strong acids (salicylic, monochloracetic, verrutop) or Faulknor’s Needling.
It is worth noting that NO single treatment for verruci and warts is 100% effective, and there is no guarantee that the verruci or warts will not return.
CRYOSURGERY
Our clinic is equipped with the latest Cryosurgery system. We use liquid nitrogen to freeze the infected area of tissue down to such a low level that the verrucae virus is killed. The tissues actually form ice crystals for a short time after treatment. A light, dry blister usually forms over the following 2-3 days. We review the area every 2 weeks and further treatment is delivered as necessary.
ACID TREATMENTS CONTAINING SALICYLIC ACID AND VERRUTOP
We also offer the option of using 60% Salicylic Acid with or without Monochloracetic Acid crystals on the affected area. The area is masked to avoid damage to the surrounding skin prior to the application. You will need to keep your foot dry for 2-3 days to give a chance to the acid to break down the verruca tissue. You will need to return to the clinic after 2-3 weeks for a review and further treatment.
Verrutop contains Nitri-zinc Complex, which kills the verruca and wart tissue by breaking its protein structure. This leaves the underlying skin intact. When Verrutop is applied to the wart, a chemical reaction takes place, which causes dehydration of the tissues and cellular destruction. The wart changes colour (white/grey/yellowish). Over time, this leads to spontaneous detachment of the wart. Verrutop is suitable for adults and children over 6years old.
ELECTROSURGERY AND FALKNOR’S NEEDLING
Hyphrecator 2000 from Conmed is the very latest development in electrosurgery. It has the ability to dry out the verruca cells and fulgurate the area (causing a burn to the tissue to destroy the verruca). The size and location of the verruca will dictate what method the podiatrist will use to anaesthetise the foot. Typically the lesion will resolve within a few days of the treatment with very little after care required.
Falknor’s Needling also requires the area to be numb prior to the procedure. The verruca is pierced multiple times so that tiny verruca cells can be transferred into the deeper tissues (the dermis). In the dermis, the verruca virus can be detected more efficiently by the immune system and eradicated. This procedure has higher success rates than any other method used to treat verrucas. Patients experience very little post op pain and the area heals up fully after a few days. In some cases, a second procedure may be required.
LASER TREATMENTS
Laser Therapy is very effective for the management of verrucas and warts. The energy of the laser kills the verruca virus by entering into the capillary bed and causing coagulation and destruction of the virus. The process also stimulates an immune response. It usually takes a number of treatments and it varies from patient to patient. CLICK HERE for more information.