Verrucas and warts - see your local Core Clinic podiatrist in Albany, Silverdale or Warkworth
Verrucas and warts can be pesky little things that hang around for a long time if not treated.
A plantar wart, medically known as a verruca, is a virus (specifically, the Human Papillomavirus) that is often transmitted in our childhood years. Normally as our immune systems develop when we come in contact with the virus we learn to live with it… sometimes however, our bodies don’t recognise the virus and instead a wart or verruca can appear.
A confusing feature of the verruca is the overlying hard skin on the surface, to the verruca this is a cushion and protective mechanism. However, underneath the lesion there is are small blood vessels present. This is the differing characteristics compared to a callous, corn or hard skin.
What are the treatments for verrucas / warts?
Dry needling for verrucas
Dry needling works by stimulating the body’s immune system and inflammatory cells to clear the infected viral cells.
Dry needling uses a thin needle to repeatedly puncture the wart (after a local anaesthetic) and push the infected cells into the deeper layers of the skin (dermis) so that it is detected by the body’s immune system. This triggers an immune response that results in the production of the right antibodies to clear the virus. The repeated puncture technique produces an inflammatory response to assist with tissue healing. Over the following week, the plantar wart undergoes a natural deterioration before ultimately disappearing.
Whilst there are other conservative techniques which your podiatrist may discuss, this is the preferred option, especially if it has been present for some time.
This procedure can be done in one of our clinics with a local anaesthetic which is administered by one of our podiatrists.
Pain and discomfort are present for the first 2 – 4 days and in some cases, this can be longer depending on the position of the verruca. Pain relief e.g., paracetamol may be taken to manage your pain. You are then rebooked for a follow up and debridement of the lesion at 1 week, 1 month and 3-month intervals.
