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Verruca
Verrucae, also known as plantar warts, are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), a highly contagious virus that’s passed on by direct human contact. Infection makes the skin over-grow and thicken, leading to a benign skin growth. The virus thrives in moist, damp environments, such as changing room floors, swimming pools and communal showers - you can catch the virus simply by walking on the same floor as an infected person. It is very common amongst children although anybody can have a verruca.
So what can we do about them?
Salicylic acid //
A well known treatment (this is what you find in over the counter treatments i.e. Bazuka, Wartner etc.) but we use a much stronger version and provide up to 6 treatments on a weekly basis. This is preferable for children and may be a first line of treatment.
Cryotherapy //
This method delivers a very cold temperature to the affected skin. It uses nitrous oxide freezing to deliver an effective treatment minimising the risk of blistering or scarring. The method of freezing at -89°C is cold enough to destroy skin cells by rupturing the cell membrane, this in turn triggers the body’s own immune system to repair skin and detect the HPV infection.
