Why home treatment is often ineffective.

 

Many of the best treatment options are not available without a professional licence, meaning our Foot Health Practiotners are able to use stronger products.  Products frequently require penetrating the skin to be affective, often involving removing layers of hard skin.   We do not advise a self-administered or at home treatment plan due to the risk of infection and therefore seeking our professional advice is recommended.  It is also important to continue treatment until the verruca has completely resolved, which may be hard to detect to the untrained eye. 

 

What are Verrucae?

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Verrucae are benign viral lesions usually found on the foot. They are very common and can appear as an area of hard skin which can sometimes have small black dots in them.

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Verrucae may appear as a single lesion or multiple areas on one or both feet and can also appear on the fingers. They are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and can affect any age, but mostly children and young adults.

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The virus infects the cells of the bottom layer of the epidermis (the outer layer of skin) and causes them to grow irregularly. The reproduction of skin cells increase in the infected area and cause a bulk of tissue. The black dots appear as a result of the blood supply from the lower layers being squeezed between the extra skin cells being produced, they are not “roots”.

Visit our Foot Health and Podiatry section for more information on how many conditions of the feet present in similar ways to Verrucae.