How Infinite Podiatry Vaquishes Verruca
Although Swift is our primary and preferred method of treating verrucae, we have other treatment options available, which may be better suited to you. Your first consultation with us allows your clinician to assess the health of your feet in order to determine which treatment options are safe for you. This assessment includes an ultrasound assessment of the circulation in your limbs and a simple painless test of your nerve function.
Following this assessment your clinicians will advise you on the most appropriate treatment option for you, taking into account: the size and duration of your verruca, your overall health, your age, and your preferences.
If both you and your clinician feel that a Swift treatment package is the best option for you this cannot be initiated on the same day.
Swift uses microwave energy to tackle the verruca virus, delivered through a handheld probe applied directly to the skin.
Your practitioner will apply Swift to the verruca for 2 seconds, around 5 times. This quickly raises the temperature of the skin, without breaking the surface itself.
79.5% of verruca treated with Swift will resolve. This is significantly better than rates of resolution associated with over-the-counter treatments such as salicylic acid gels and cryotherapy, which typically lead to only 20-30% resolution.
Swift can be used to treat both verruca on the feet and warts on the hand.
Most patients feel a brief, sharp sensation, similar to an injection. Unlike most treatments for verruca, pain felt during the treatment immediately subsides, and only in very rare cases is there any prolonged pain.
Anything you like! While Swift can leave your verruca feeling tender for a day or two after treatment, the discomfort is minimal. Your activities are not impacted at all; you can drive, swim, work, or relax! There is no need for dressings or aftercare. Life goes back to normal the moment you leave the practice.
How many treatments you need will depend on the length of time your verruca has been present, the size of the verruca and your overall health. As a minimum you will require three treatments which are carried out four weeks apart.
With very few exceptions, most people with a verruca are able to have this treatment. Swift is not recommended for use on diabetic patients, patients with implanted electronic devices or electrodes or for use close to metallic objects (i.e. metal foot implants, jewellery etc).
Vexing Verruca!
Verrucae are the visible symptom of a virus that invades the outer layers of our skin; the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Not only vexing, but virulent, HPV can strike anyone, but most at risk are those with conditions or medications causing immuno-supression, and those frequently visiting high risk verruca-zones. High risk verruca-zones are places that provide the perfect environment in which the HPV virus thrives; moist, warm, dark. You won’t be surprised to hear that swimming pools, saunas and communal showers are prime culprits.
For many, verrucae resolve spontaneously, without interference. A typical time-frame to expect self-resolution is two to three years. Children tend to clear the virus the soonest; they have the most robust immune system and so the body detects early on that there is a problem and mounts the appropriate healing response to deal with it. In adults they can be more persistent, when the body fails to notice the secretive infection in the outer most layers of your skin, but again most will resolve within a few years.
Some unlucky souls will be host to a particularly stubborn verruca, one which despite the passage of years has remained in situ, perhaps slowly growing or creating outbreaks of other verrucae elsewhere on the feet. This verruca can be painless, or it may have built up a lump of hard skin, which can be uncomfortable to walk on. Many will have resisted one or more of the many over-the-counter treatments available. It’s at this stage (or sooner if your verruca is causing you distress), you may wish to consider seeing a Podiatrist.