Verruca (Human Paperloma Virus)
The benefit of using a Foot Health Practitioner for verruca diagnosis:
Verruca’s can often be misdiagnosed or mistaken for a hard corn. The advice will be provided on different treatments for your verruca and the outcome.
Verruca assessment and treatment:
Your assessment will include your medical history and an update on your symptoms along with a full health assessment of your feet and nails to provide a diagnosis.
You will be informed of the treatment options available and most suited to ensure the best outcome.
What are verruca’s?
Verruca’s are caused by a viral infection called the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which commonly occurs on the soles of the feet or around the toe areas and is contagious. It’s painful, can interfere with daily life, and cause embarrassment and anxiety.
What causes my verruca?
The HPV virus is thought to thrive in moist, damp environments such as a swimming pool,
communal changing rooms, and showers. Simply walking across the same floor areas as
someone with a verruca, especially if you have a small cut or abrasion which will make it
easier for the virus to penetrate can cause verruca's. Having a weak immune system and stress are factors that can
affect contagion.
Can anyone get verruca?
It is largely those of us who use communal changing rooms and showers. It is possible to develop an immunity against the virus over time but most of us remain susceptible, although some more than others.
What are the signs and symptoms of verruca?
The most common appearance is a lesion that interrupts the normal lines and ridges of the skin and looks like a small cauliflower-type growth often with tiny back dots. They can differ in size and shape, and can be single or clusters.
Verruca’s are plantar warts and unlike other types of warts, these grow inwards which can be uncomfortable or painful when walking.
Summary:
Verruca’s are caused by a viral infection and can become uncomfortable and painful if they develop on a weight-bearing part of the foot with some strains of the virus that spread and look unsightly.