November 2022

Verruca Infection & Treatments are very common, and we see them in our patients almost on a daily basis. They’re a pretty simple issue to deal with, but they can often become painful and hard to manage if not properly cared for.
There are lots of questions surrounding verrucas on feet, one of the most common being “Do I have a verruca or a corn?”. We’re here to give you the answers you need. So, if you want to know more about verruca infection and verruca treatment, read on!

What Are Verrcas ?

Verruca or verruca infections are a virus. It is caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and is highly contagious. Verrucas on feet are commonly spotted on the soles of the areas around one’s toes. These viruses thrive in moist environments and tend to cyclically be outbreak in children at the park (like hand, foot, and mouth disease). Verrucas tend to look kind of like cauliflowers, but then they flatten up because of pressure when they are on the soles of your feet.

Sometimes verrucas can be painless, but more often than not they are very uncomfortable and even painful to deal with. They can disappear overnightan or can be persistent for years on end.

Verruca Symptoms

It’s very easy to confuse verrucas on feet for other types of warts and corns. That’s why it’s important to know the distinct symptoms of verrucae (yes, that’s the plural of verruca!). This way you can identify them and give them the correct form of verruca treatment.

There are some key identifying factors when it comes to Verrucas which can help you single them out from all these other ailments:

• There’s a black dot in the center of the raised skin (in most cases)
• The “wart” is oddly cauliflower-shaped
• You feel a stinging “stepping-on-a-needle” type of pain when you apply pressure
• The lump is small and rough
• You may have multiple on your hands and around your mouth as well (in the case of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, or HFM for short, which is common in most children)

What Causes Verrucas on Feet?

Now that you know more about the Verruca infection, it’d do you good to understand where it comes from so you can prevent it from happening to you. Especially if you have children or young adults at home since they’re the most prone and the virus is extremely contagious.

Verrucas are caused by HPV. Verruca infections can spread from person to person via direct skin contact or even just contact with surfaces contaminated with the virus. You’re also more likely to get infected if your skin is damaged or wet, so swimming pools and communal showers tend to be a breeding ground for verruca infections. Apart from infecting (or being infected by) others, you can even further infect yourself by touching unaffected areas of your body. The viral particles tend to spread when you scratch a verruca. As with most viruses, your chances of developing verruca infections runs high if you have a weak immune system.

Do I Have A Verruca or A Corn?

Most people tend to confuse Verrucas for Corns. It’s a very common problem seen by Podiatrists everywhere. A lot of times, patients come in after “mistreatment” caused by the confusion. When you can’t tell if it’s a verruca or a corn, it’s probably best to see a medical professional (why not book an appointment with Bucks Foot Clinic?) before you treat it at home. The wrong treatment for the wrong lesion can sometimes even lead to more serious problems. So it’s best to know how to SPOT the difference between these spots.

Since you already know how you can tell if it’s a verruca on your feet, we won’t get into too much detail. In fact, we have an article specifically for this question alone. So, if you want to know if you’re dealing with a verruca or a corn, read this article of ours. It’ll give you better insight into properly identifying the differences between the two so you can tell if you’re dealing with a verruca or a corn with ease.

Verruca Treatment

Now that you know a lot more about verrucas on feet and what causes them, you’d probably want to know how to go about verruca treatment.
There are many ways you can go about treating verrucas on your feet. Though they normally go away with time, if you find yourself plagued with verrucas on your feet and they’re either painful or just an eyesore, here’s a few treatments:

1.Home Remedies:

• A great home remedy is taking a piece of banana skin and cutting it to be the same size as the verruca on your feet. Then, go ahead and place the piece of banana skin on the verruca and secure it with a plaster. Do this for about two weeks, every night before bed.
• Garlic is an all-round cure-all and is generally just really good for your health. You can use garlic to treat your verruca as well. Take a piece of garlic and put it over your verruca infection and secure it with a plaster. If you do this daily for a month, your verruca should go away.
• A study was done in which it was proven that duct tape surprisingly helps get rid of verrucas. Take a piece of duct tape and cover your verruca with it, and it should go away in a few weeks.

2.Medication:

• There are many creams, medicated plasters, and gels that you can use to aid the treatment of your verruca. Most of these are readily available as over the counter products, so you can get them at your local pharmacy.
• Salicylic acid is the key ingredient in all of these products and this is what actually treats your verruca. It helps soften the verruca significantly.
• Never use salicylic acid products on your face because that can lead to some really bad scarring. Also, if you have pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, consult your doctor before using these products.

3.Cryotherapy:

Cryotherapy is a very effective way to remove your verruca. It is the process in which your verruca is frozen with liquid nitrogen, which makes it fall off. If you’re interested in cryotherapy, please visit a podiatrist and never try to do this on your own. It can lead to scarring and is typically also mildly painful, so it’s not a great option for children and people who are sensitive to pain.

4.Check In With Your Podiatrist:

The best way to treat anything related to your feet is by visiting a podiatrist. They are experts at all things foot-related and will be able to treat your verruca with ease and painlessly. When you visit a podiatrist, they will most likely use SWIFT Machine Treatment to get rid of your verruca. SWIFT is a very quick and efficient way to treat verrucas, it’s in the name itself! SWIFT uses microwave energy for verruca removal. To learn more about what you can expect from SWIFT treatment, read our article on this topic!

Conclusion

If you think you’re dealing with verrucas on your feet, don’t hesitate to seek help. Instead of suffering the soreness and the possibility of recurrence, visit a Podiatrist to help you deal with it permanently.

At Bucksfoot Clinic, we offer the best podiatric services. Contact us to book an appointment!

Please call us on  0800 107 3290 / 077 99 122 099 Or contact us now

Toenail Fungus & Treat Verrucas

There are many questions surrounding toenail fungus and verrucas on feet. In this blog, we’ll answer the main ones. Keep reading to learn more.

First Off, What Is Toenail Fungus?

If you’re showing signs of discoloured toenails and other unpleasant symptoms, you may just be dealing with toenail fungus.

A fungal nail infection develops from the overgrowth of fungi in, under, or on the nail. It’s common knowledge that fungi thrive in warm and moist environments, so the nails on your feet have ideal conditions for fungi to naturally overpopulate. Most fungal nail infections are caused by the very same fungi that cause “athlete’s foot”, ringworm, and “jock itch”.

The rapid overpopulation of fungi that are already present in your body can cause nail infections. Fungal nail infections are quite communicable, so if you’ve come in contact with someone who had a fungal infection, you may have contracted it too. Toenails tend to be affected more than fingernails, since they’re usually confined to shoes, which are the ideal breeding grounds for these fungi.

Pedicures at nail salons can also lead to fungal nail infections, which is why you need to make sure the tools are cleaned and disinfected regularly and well. Tools like nail cutters and files can very easily spread fungal nail infections from person to person if they’re not sanitised properly.

Toenail fungus is a form of infection that basically travels through the cracks in your nail / the cuts on your skin. It can change the colour of your toenail and make it much thicker than normal. It can also be very painful to deal with. Since toes are usually kept warm and may be damp due to sweat, they act as the perfect breeding ground for fungus, allowing it to thrive in these conditions. There are different types of fungi and even yeast that can affect the different parts of your nail. When left without treatment, the fungus can spread to your skin, the other toenails, and sometimes even your fingernails!

What Does Toenail Fungus Look Like?

A very common question that gets asked is “what does toenail fungus look like?”. It’s good to know the symptoms so you can know how to treat your fungal toenail.

What does toenail fungus look like, you ask? Here’s your answer:

A change in colour of your toenail, to either yellow, brown, and even white
Thickened and often misshapen looking toenail
Chalkiness / cloudiness in spots on your toenail
Your toenail is separated from your nail bed
Lots of breaks and cracks in one or multiple spots on your toenail

There are many ways toenail fungus can alter the visual appearance of your toenails. That’s why it’s important to know what it looks like, so you can treat it before it gets more serious.

If you find yourself noticing any of the above symptoms, you may just be dealing with toenail fungus and you should seek treatment with a podiatrist accordingly.

What Is A Verruca?

Verrucas are a type of wart that develop on your feet. This type of wart is specific to the feet and is surprisingly common. Verruca infections are usually harmless, and so many people aren’t even aware of their existence. You can either have a single verruca that develops on your foot, or you can also have a cluster of verrucae that covers a greater area on your foot.

Verruca infections are a result of a viral infection called the Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV for short. There are so many types of HPV, but in particular HPV 1, 2, and 4 are the subtypes that are most likely to lead to verrucae development.

How Can You Tell If You Have A Verruca Infection?

Chances are you’ve had a Verruca before and just confused it for a corn or a wart. But there are some key identifying factors when it comes to Verrucas which can help you single them out from all these other ailments. Verrucas are actually an infection caused by HPV and can be painful in comparison to normal warts or corns. They tend to form on the soles of your feet and may have tiny black dots in the centre, where blood has clotted in tiny vessels on the surface of your skin.

They can be painful when you put weight on them, kind of like stepping on a needle. They also tend to look flat because of the constant pressure put on them. They even develop in clusters in some cases and can fuse together, forming “mosaic warts”.
Which, again, sound super fancy, but definitely aren’t a piece you’d put up in an art exhibit. They’re actually kind of grotesque, but are totally normal.

To sum it up, you know it’s Verrucas on your feet when:
There’s a black dot in the centre (in most cases)
The “wart” is oddly cauliflower-shaped
You feel a stinging “stepping-on-a-needle” type of pain when you apply pressure
The lump is small and rough
You may have multiple on your hands and around your mouth as well (in the case of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, or HFM for short, which is common in most children)

How to Treat Verrucas on Feet

There are different ways you can go about verruca treatment. The most common ones are Salicylic acid, Cryotherapy, and SWIFT verruca treatment. Your podiatrist will be able to tell you which verruca treatment is best for you.
Here’s some information on each verruca treatment:

1. Salicylic Acid:

There are many creams, gels and medicated plasters for treating warts and verrucas. You can buy these over-the-counter, but only do so if you’re sure it’s a verruca infection. Most of these contain salicylic acid which is a key ingredient in treating verruca infections. Be careful when applying these medications, and try to use as little as possible in surrounding areas because it can cause irritation to healthy skin.

You can even protect the skin around the verruca infection with non-fragranced and natural petroleum jelly. Try not to get any of the treatment on broken skin. You can soften the area before-hand by soaking it in water and rubbing it to remove excess hard skin. Once dried, make sure to cover the affected area with a plaster. Apply the treatment according to your Podiatrist / Pharmacist’s advice.

2. Cryotherapy:

This is the process of freezing your wart or verruca using liquid nitrogen so it falls off. Most pharmacists have OTC cryotherapy preparations that contain other gases, but these don’t normally work too well because they can’t freeze at temperatures as low as liquid nitrogen, which is why it’s better if you visit a Podiatrist to get this done (book an appointment with Bucks Foot Clinic today!). During cryotherapy, your doctor will apply the liquid nitrogen to your verruca using either a spray or a cotton bud. It usually takes between 5-30 seconds to freeze depending on the size and location and also the method used.

You may have to repeat the treatment multiple times till the verruca or wart eventually falls off. Cryotherapy, however, hasn’t been shown to work any better than salicylic acid and can often lead to blisters and scarring that can be painful, which is why it’s not recommended for younger children.

3. SWIFT Verruca Treatment:

SWIFT is a relatively new technology that’s been developed in the UK, and has been licensed for treating verrucas by podiatrists all over. SWIFT uses microwave energy, delivered through a probe which is put on the skin to treat the affected area. With SWIFT Machine Treatment, you can get rid of multiple verrucas and warts in just one sitting, and it’s quick and efficient in doing so. The cherry on top is that you don’t require anaesthetics of dressings afterwards!

If you want to efficiently and permanently remove your verruca, we suggest SWIFT treatment. Most Podiatrists would opt for this treatment as it is a very efficient and good solution to the problem of verrucas on feet.

Conclusion

It’s always best to see a Podiatrist when facing any issues related to the feet. Especially if you have a condition like diabetes or other circulation-related illnesses. Ignoring a simple issue on your foot can lead to something much bigger and way worse in the long run. In some cases, a simple infection could lead to amputation (especially in the case of daibetic patients).

If you think you may have an issue like fungal toenail or verrucas on your feet, don’t hesitate and wait till it’s too late. Book an appointment with Bucksfoot Clinic for the best treatment you can get!

Please call us on  0800 107 3290 / 077 99 122 099 Or contact us now