Discovering a verruca (also called a plantar wart) on the bottom of your foot can be an unwelcome surprise. If you’re looking for ways to remove it, you may have come across the process of freezing – commonly used for warts on the hands – and wondered if the same approach works for verrucae.
Freezing, or Cryotherapy, is a well-established treatment for verrucae and can be an effective way to eliminate them. At our London chiropody and podiatry clinics, we offer professional cryotherapy in a safe, hygienic environment to help you get rid of stubborn verrucae.
Verrucae Can Linger for Years without Treatment
Verrucae (sometimes spelt verrucas) are caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). They’re highly contagious and spread via contact with infected skin or contaminated objects and surfaces, such as towels, showers and floors. Having broken skin on the bottom of your feet and using swimming pools or changing rooms increases your risk of developing verrucae.
A verruca is a rough, roundish, yellowish lesion. This could be a good description of a corn as well, but it is possible to tell these two issues apart. The key differences between verrucae and corns are that only the former have tiny black dots caused by clotted blood and lack the skin’s natural lines.
While it’s true that verrucae may go away without treatment, this can take an extremely long time, and there’s no guarantee a specific one will just disappear. Imagine spending months or even years with a verruca growing into your foot. Verrucae can reach over 1cm wide, get covered by hard skin, form clusters and become painful.
As chiropody and podiatry experts, we firmly believe you should never ignore a verruca. That’s why we encourage you to consider verruca treatment options such as our London cryotherapy, which helps your body to defeat the verruca virus.
How Cryotherapy Works
Cryotherapy is a powerful method of treating even stubborn verrucae, as well as many other lesions. It involves exposing skin to sub-zero temperatures with the aid of a freezing agent known as a cryogen.
Nitrous oxide is the cryogen used at Feet By Pody for verruca treatment. When it reaches the probe of our advanced cryotherapy equipment, it cools the golden tip to -95°C. This precise and controlled freezing effectively targets verrucae while ensuring a safe and comfortable procedure.
When a verruca is frozen during cryotherapy, ice crystals and shards rupture infected cells’ membranes. The cells therefore burst and die. As a result, the verruca virus is forced to enter your bloodstream. It can then be targeted and eliminated by your immune system faster and more easily than if it had been able to remain near the skin’s surface.
Is Cryotherapy Suitable for Everyone?
Cryotherapy for verrucae is suitable for most adult patients.
However, you shouldn’t undergo the treatment if you have a health problem that’s aggravated by cold temperatures (Raynaud’s disease, for example), poor circulation due to diabetes or another condition, or a compromised immune system. It’s also unsuitable for patients who are pregnant.
The Process of Freezing a Verruca
What should you expect if you visit our London foot clinics for verruca cryotherapy treatment?
- We’ll gently remove hard skin so that it’s easier for ice to penetrate your verruca.
- We’ll use a precision-controlled golden probe that comes into direct contact with the verruca. This ensures targeted freezing of the infected area in seconds. The ice will then thaw, and the process can be repeated as needed. We carefully adjust the depth and duration of the freezing effect based on the size and severity of the verruca, ensuring the best possible results.
- We’ll cover the treated verruca with a plaster. Soon a blister will form, then a scab. When the scab falls off after a couple of weeks or so, it’ll ideally take the verruca with it. But if any remains, the cryotherapy can be repeated.
Major Benefits of Cryotherapy
- Cryotherapy is a straightforward, minimally invasive, effective verruca treatment.
- It targets infected cells precisely, so the risk of healthy cell damage is low.
- It can be completed in a matter of minutes.
- ‘Most people recover quickly from the procedure and with little pain,’ emphasises the Cleveland Clinic academic medical group.
Expert Cryotherapy for Verrucae in London
Cryotherapy performed by our expert London chiropodists and podiatrists is designed to help you wave goodbye to the pain, frustration and embarrassment of verrucae.
For cryotherapy and other superb specialist verruca treatments in London, book your appointment with Feet By Pody today.