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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.

+++UPDATE+++

In our episode first broadcast on Wednesday 22nd April 2009 we featured the case of Charlotte who was suffering from a severe outbreak of Verrucas. Charlotte’s operation to remove the verrucas from her foot appears to have been successful and her foot is healing really well. She’s back on her bike and back to being a normal child, pending a potential bone marrow transplant.

If your child has verrucas or warts, check our guide especially for parents on Embarrassing Bodies: Kids website.

Comments and Questions

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

i have a verruca on my hand and i dont know how to get rid of it





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i have loads of verucca's on my right foot around 16, i'm not sure how long exactly but at least over a year and a bit, i have tried bazzuca and it does not work, i dont know what else to do and i am really embarrassed by this, advice would be great help :)





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I have read verruca's are a result of a low or weakened immune system. I now have a 5 large verruca's on my heel, but I never ever been ill! I had chicken pox when I was 8, but since then I have never been ill. At 26 I have never even had a winter cold! Is it still possible that I have a low immune system?





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Everyone gets them now and then, it's just if you were to get loads, as in covering the sole

I've had verrucas in the past but recently I have developed one on my right foot, and within a few days I developed one on my left foot too, along with a wart on the palm of my hand, however this appeared a few weeks before hand. What does this mean and is there any way I can get rid of them?





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Why dont you go to your GP? The nurse will 'freeze' it for you. It may take a few sessions, and you must have had the verruca for 18 months. Its free and effective.

well i have a veruca and a wart too so do wat i m going 2 do: see ur gp about it and get some medication hope i helped!

Have had 1 verruca which has spread to 2 on my big toe for about 6 years now, i find it embarrassing and dont like having the soles of my feet on show, even doing simple things like sunbathing in the summer. Has anybody managed to find anything useful yet? Has anybody succeeded with the POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE?? Really want to get rid of them now.





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I have suffered with verrucas for years, single, mosaic, you name it Ive had it and still got it! The only thing that worked for me was Thuja from Neals Yard but only the 200c worked (and it did muck my menstrual cycle up but was worth it for a bit of respite!), but I havent been able to get hold of it for a couple of years, which is very frustrating! Other than that if anyone has any miracle remedies would love to know them!





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I have suffered with verrucas for years, single, mosaic, you name it Ive had it and still got it! The only thing that worked for me was Thuja from Neals Yard but only the 200c worked (and it did muck my menstrual cycle up but was worth it for a bit of respite!), but I havent been able to get hold of it for a couple of years, which is very frustrating! Other than that if anyone has any miracle remedies would love to know them!





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Hi Everyone Since my last message I bought a cd called Verruca be gone - you listen to it and its meant to tell your subconscious to kick start your immune systems and get it to fight the verruca's, it can take up to 3 months for them to be gone. I've listened to it and my verruca's are hurting a bit so hopefully that might mean that something is happening! I've just managed to find the Potassium Permanganante, the first three chemists no longer sold it, so I went to a really old fashioned one in the next town and they had it, so I'm about to start on that, I'll keep you posted, so thank for that tip Rosalind. Lynnette I haven't tried a Homoeopath yet, that will be another step to take if the current ones don't work, so thank you for that. Naomi I really feel for you, as you are in the same boat as me, hopefully if you try the Potassium Permanganate too it will work, fingers crossed and thank you everyone, sometimes this makes you feel really alone when all your friends can wear lovely shoes, and ask how can you wear boots in this heat!





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THE WAY to use this POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE is the following: 1) BUY some cloth elastoplast (the one you can cut with a pair of scissors) 2) BUY some surgical spirit and cotton wool Put 4-5 crystals on the elastoplast for each wart and wet with 1 small drop of water. Fix the elastoplast on each wart and remove 24 hours later. All the warts will be gone and the roots will have come out too. For the next few weeks, keep the area clean by dressing with diluted surgical spirit and cotton wool and fixing it with elastoplast. It is best to treat all the warts together, since they can spread. Removing them all together will minimize the chance of recurrence.

I have about 12 on my left foot, some on the undersides of my toes, but I have one each side of my little toe nail, so my little toe looks so awful I have to wear my boots all summer as I can't show my feet, I've had them for about 15 years now. Spent hundreds on treatment and nothing works. Even been to the hospital, but they only offered to burn them off or told me to use stuff like you can buy over the counter. I think if I were rich I could pay for laser treatment. One last thing I am going to try is a bit off the wall, but a friend has suggested that my left foot is to do with my past life, so I plan to have past life regression to see if I can unlock any reasons for them.





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Have you ever tried Potassium Permanganate (you can buy this from the chemist for around £1.25 for a 25mg jar). It is purple crystals and you use a tiny amount to spinkle into half a bowl of warm water and soak both feet for about 5 minutes. You can use every day but at least twice weekly. I am sure you will be delighted with the results.

Thank you I'll try and buy some of that tomorrow and give it a go, I'll try anything to be free of them!

I don't know if you have been to a homoeopath, but a good homoeopath should be able to help. If you have been, and the remedy hasn't helped, then it is likely that it wasn't the most appropriate one for you, and you should try again. Look at Society of Homeopaths/Alliance of Registered Homoeopaths/Faculty of Homeopathy websites for a qualified homoeopath near you.

I may have this problem,so will take that advise. Will dr. this week to make sure that it isn't chilblains first. thanks for that tip to the other person.

Hi Kate, I have exactly the same problem.. I have about 19 on my left foot and some on top of my toes as well.. Im only 20 and love wearing my heels but feel so self concious! No one but my mum knows I have my verrucas and i get so upset whenever I look at them! I have had them since I was 12 and have tried everything possible! Did you have any luck with the previous comment from Rosiland trying the Potassium Permanganate?

My 3 year old has a big white lump on the base of his foot, not the heel,toes or ball of foot. My husband thinks its a verruca but im not convinced. It doesnt have a black dot or head and in the laat 24 hrs its doubled in size. Its also painful and raised not flat or invertrd. Any ideas asap pls. We dont live near our doctors so dont want a qaated trip if it is a verruca as i could just go to the chemist. Thanks





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It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





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