Verrucas & Verrutop Treatment

Verrucas are warts that occur on the feet. They are the same as warts on any other part of the body. They are flat rather than raised like a art due to them usually being on a weight bearing area.

Verrucas are small, rough, often round, lumps not the skin. Sometimes you will only see one or two verrucas on one or both feet, though they can cover larger areas of the skin. Verrucas are common in children and are generally harmless and pain free.

They are caused by a virus (human papillomavirus) which causes a reaction in the upper layers of the skin. They are often picked up through walking barefoot where someone else may have walked.

There are a number of treatment options available for verruca but there is no single treatment option that is 100% guaranteed to clear it. Some treatments will work fo some, but not others. The overlying hard skin that may develop over the verruca can be removed by our podiatrist to relieve discomfort, but this will not “remove” the verruca in a single treatment. Verrucas can not simply be “cut out” and do not have a root.

Our podiatrist can advise on the appropriate management plan for your verruca at your initial assessment.
Verruca treatment can include:

• Debridement
• Acid treatment – usually applied every 2-4 weeks
• Verrutop – Applied every 2 weeks for a maximum of 6 treatments (see below for more information)

Verrutop is a topical solution used by health care professionals for the treatment of wards and verruca. It uses a Nitrizinc complex to mummify the local tissue to aide cell renewal beneath the verruca or wart. This aide the reduction in size and usually complete removal of the verruca.

Those with smaller verruca who wish to eradicate them. Verrutop is most suitable for smaller verruca.

Firstly, our podiatrist will perform a thorough examination and history taking with regards to the verruca, including any past treatments that have been tried . If Verrutop is advised, the verruca will initially be reduced with a scalpel, this is usually painless and the verruca will often bleed, which is normal. Following this, our podiatrist will carefully apply the Verrutop treatment to the verruca/verrucas to be treated.

It is advised to apply surgical spirit twice daily to the verruca in between treatments which aids the drying out effect of the Verrutop. Treatments are performed every 2 weeks for a maximum of six sessions.

The manufacturers of Verrutop currently state the proven effect to be 90% with a maximum of six treatment sessions performed.

• Quick and usually painless treatment
• No need to keep foot dry after treatment
• Can return to normal activities shortly after treatment
• Eliminates risk of spreading verruca to other

Whithorne House
North Street
GU29 9DH

Tel: 01730 813231 (for Midhurst clinic appointments only)