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Conditions

Verrucas

close up of verruca on foot

In the same way that walking barefoot around swimming pools, changing rooms and any communal area can lead to Athlete’s Foot, there is also the possibility that you might pick up the odd plantar wart (or verruca) as well. A verruca is a wart on the sole of the foot, which is pressed into the foot by the weight of the body, and can therefore be painful. You can have one verruca or sometimes you can have several small warts packed together into a small area, known as a ‘mosaic wart’ (not as beautifully artistic as it sounds, but usually painless). In children, verrucas tend to come and go quite quickly, but in adults they can persist for several years if they are not treated (although, some will go away by themselves). There are plenty of treatments available, but no single treatment is guaranteed.

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What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments

Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out the Channel 4 Health site or NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

I am 15 and i have atleast six verukas bunched together on one foot and about 2-3 on the other. What is the best thing to do about them?

Hiya. My sister had verucas & she booked an appointment with our GP to get them frozen off. She came out & said that it didnt hurt, was just very cold. All her verucas have completley gone now. i reccommend it

i'v got aboaut 2 vercurucas .aboat a year ago i got rid of them from some cream but then i got them again .theres one on the side on my toe with rubs and hurt when i've got shoes on
what the best cream to get on the market

i have had one verucca for around 3/4 years now, didn't think anything of it at the time but now i wish i did something earlier! tried all creams and remedies, nothing worked at all – even prescribed stuff. eventually i had more veruccas spread and now have a round 4 including the large one i've had for ages. i'm now having treatment from the hospital (freezing) and on my 5th treatment they still haven't gone! the last time i had them freezed last week was so so painful :( i literally couldn't walk afterwards but i kept thinking no pain no gain. sure enough, they STILL haven't gone! However, next week they are changing the treatment to a lazer :S? which tries to kill the cells by using intensity of different lights, so hopefully thatll work. Doctors have said veruccas are very stubborn and different things work for different people so fingers crossed this laser treatment will win :)

Ive had a verruca for years now, and ive been at high school for 2years now, im in year 9 but its really affecting my social life, in gymnastics at school i never want to show my feet or anything because i dont want people to know ive got one. i went to the doctor and they just told me it would go but its not, and i give up. what should i do? ive also used all different treatments but they dont work and its really painful

Ive had many for years and my doctor refuses to help! Very painfull and ugly. Nothing works used bazuka for 5 years too costly to continue 3 tins of freeze spray and all the old wives remodies no good.

The heel of my left foot was covered in verrucas, which became very sore, sometimes i even felt like my feet were on fire cause they hurt so much. Tried all the different treatments, like wartner, bazuka and even salactical solution from the doctor. Nothing, if anything they made my foot worse. After about 6 years i finally have a clear foot. I think the solution was a foot scraper. I got it from boots, scraped all the dead skin away and it eventually got to the core. Then used boots intensive foot moistoriser and socks, completely worked and i am so much happier. Its not easy but you have to persavere.

I have a hole type thing on the edge of my heel and it is quite hard is it a verruca?

I've used bazuka on one of my verukas for years and it hasn't gone for good. I'm now using wartner and it seems to work ok. I soak my feet and get the dead skin off before treating so the treatment is effective – is this a good way to make treatment effective?

i had 1 verruca on my big toe on my left foot then it split in half then more kept growing and growing then they began on the the next toe and grew and grew then they have gone under the big toe nail i have only got 1 small 1 on the right foot but both hurt aswell as this i have dry skin i have 5 on my left hand and none on my left i have tried everythink possible bin the doctors they said ill grow out of it ive had them for as long as i can rember about 7 years




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The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


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Videos

  1. Verruca consultaion

    Consultation: Verrucas

    Dr McKenna examines two patients with severe outbreaks of verrucas

  2. Bunions on the feet

    Consultation: Bunions

    A few particularly painful bunions are examined by Dr McKenna

  3. Athlete's foot

    Quick Health Advice - Athlete's Foot

    Dr Harper gives out some advice on how to avoid getting the particulary nasty athlete's foot

  4. A verruca on the sole of a foot

    Quick Health Advice - Warts and Verrucas

    Dr McKenna looks at the causes of warts and verrucas and some of the treatments available.


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