Patient guide
Wart and verruca removal: treatments that work and when to wait
By the SkinOps team · Updated · 2 min read
Based on information from the NHS website. This guide is waiting for review by a clinician and is not medical advice.
Most of us get a wart or a verruca at some point. They are small lumps on the skin caused by a virus, and while they are rarely a health problem, they can be stubborn, unsightly and, on the sole of the foot, uncomfortable.
Warts or verrucas?
Warts are firm, rough lumps that can appear on different parts of the body, often the hands. Verrucas are warts on the feet. They usually look like a patch of hard skin with tiny black dots underneath.
How they spread
The virus passes through close skin contact or by touching surfaces that have it on them. You are more likely to pick it up if your skin is wet or damaged. It can take months after contact before a wart appears.
Do you need to treat them?
Not always. Warts and verrucas usually go away on their own, although it can take months or even years.
If you want to speed things up, a pharmacist can recommend creams, plasters or sprays. These can take up to 3 months to work, may irritate your skin and do not work for everyone. They are not suitable for warts on the face.
Treatments from a GP, dermatologist or podiatrist
- A GP may freeze a wart with cryotherapy. It can take a few weeks for the wart to go.
- Warts on the face are usually treated by a dermatologist, a skin specialist.
- A podiatrist (foot specialist) can offer stronger medicines, freezing with liquid nitrogen, or removal with a scalpel or laser.
When to see a GP
Get a wart or verruca checked if:
- you are worried about a growth on your skin
- it keeps coming back
- it is large or painful
- it bleeds or changes how it looks
- it is on your face or genitals
Stopping warts and verrucas spreading
- wash your hands after touching a wart or verruca
- change your socks every day
- cover warts and verrucas when you go swimming
- do not share towels or shoes
- do not walk barefoot in shared places such as changing rooms if you have a verruca