Six Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Ignore a Verruca

‘It’s just a verruca – it can’t be that serious, can it?’

‘I don’t think I have time to deal with it right now.’

‘Perhaps if I just ignore it, it’ll go away…’

When a verruca initially appears, some people have ideas like this. Instead of dealing with this foot problem, they may try to ignore it.

If you have one, it’s possible that you don’t think it deserves much attention and aren’t in a hurry to do anything about it. However, as we’ll explain, there are a number of reasons why you might seek a podiatrist or chiropodist in Harborne, Birmingham for professional verruca advice and treatment.

A viral infection is to blame!

Warts that form on the bottoms of your feet are known as verrucas (or verrucae). Plantar warts is another term used by chiropodists in Harborne, Birmingham to describe them: plantar is a medical term for the sole.

They can look rough and thickened, sometimes white or yellow in colour. Verrucas may have tiny blood vessels that appear as dark spots, although appearance alone does not always distinguish them from corns and calluses.

Various strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) cause verruca infections. The virus can enter through small breaks in the skin.

They may initially be only a few millimetres wide, making them easy to overlook. Our Birmingham chiropody team advises that you inspect your feet regularly and consider these six reasons to seek advice.

1. Verrucas Can Become Larger or More Troublesome

If left untreated, some verrucas continue to grow. A verruca may become over a centimetre wide and surrounded or covered by hard skin, making it a genuine annoyance.

Pressure when standing or moving can flatten the wart and make it uncomfortable. However, verrucas do not always get worse: some remain unchanged or disappear without treatment.

What happens if a verruca is left untreated?

It may clear naturally, persist for months or years, or become larger, painful or more numerous. If it is not troubling you and the diagnosis is clear, observation can be an option. Seek advice if it changes, bleeds or becomes painful.

2. They Can Multiply

The skin around a verruca can also become infected, especially if you scratch or pick it. You can end up with several warts rather than one.

Tightly packed clusters are known as mosaic warts. Treating a larger area can be more involved than treating a single wart, although the response varies.

3. Verrucas Can Cause Foot Pain

Many sufferers are familiar with foot pain, soreness and tenderness, especially when weight-bearing areas, such as the ball of the foot, are affected.

A painful verruca can make standing, walking or running uncomfortable. Some people describe the sensation as standing on a needle.

If you are changing the way you walk because of pain, seek advice about the lesion and ways to reduce pressure.

Are verrucas dangerous?

Verrucas are generally benign, non-cancerous skin growths. The main problems are usually discomfort, persistence and spread. A lesion that bleeds, changes appearance or is not clearly a verruca should be assessed. Get professional advice before self-treatment if you have diabetes, poor circulation, reduced sensation or a weakened immune system.

4. Verrucas Can Make Staying Active Difficult

A painful verruca can make simple tasks such as climbing stairs uncomfortable. Your desire to participate in sports or go to the gym may wane if every step hurts.

Rather than giving up activities you enjoy, speak to a clinician about comfortable footwear, pressure relief and whether treatment would be useful.

Why let a painful untreated verruca hold you back when you can ask our chiropody team in Harborne for advice?

5. Verruca Infections Can Spread

You may spread the virus if you touch or pick your verruca and then touch another area of skin.

The virus can also pass to other people through infected skin and contaminated surfaces. Towels, communal changing rooms and swimming-pool surroundings can provide opportunities for spread, particularly when skin is wet or damaged.

Wearing shower shoes, not sharing towels and covering a verruca with a waterproof plaster when swimming can help reduce the risk.

6. Verruca Treatment Options Are Available

There is no guarantee that a verruca will go away quickly without treatment; some last for years. Equally, professional treatment does not guarantee clearance and is not automatically superior to pharmacy treatment for every patient.

A podiatrist or pharmacist can help you weigh up treatment against waiting for natural resolution. Options that may be discussed include:

• Acid-based treatments: preparations applied to the lesion to remove affected skin. They can irritate surrounding skin and need careful use.
• Cryotherapy: freezing treatment that damages wart tissue. It can cause pain or blistering and may require repeat sessions.
• Verruca needling: a procedure using a sterile needle, usually under local anaesthetic, intended to stimulate an immune response. Discuss suitability, evidence and aftercare with your clinician.
• Swift microwave treatment: treatment using a probe to deliver microwave energy to the lesion. Ask about suitability, discomfort and the expected course.

Confirm which options are currently available at the clinic. Your choice should reflect your health, symptoms, preferences and the likely benefits, risks and costs.

Verruca Treatment at The Podiatry Clinics Harborne, Birmingham

Visit our podiatry team in Harborne to discuss the most suitable approach for your verruca, so you can work towards getting back to the things you love.

For more detail about one option, read our verruca needling information sheet.