Do I just give up on getting rid of my verrucas?

[ragged]

And if not, then what should I do now (wwyd thread)?

Have tried
Prescription acid + plasters from GP (for weeks)
Banana skins (for maybe 6 weeks)
OTC acid + plasters (for months)
Fortnightly treatment at chirodopist clinic (9-10 months)
Duct tape (current).

I could only find black duct tape, does it have to be silver stuff, instead? Black tape does not stay in place well. Have not tried "freezing" (not sure what that means, cost or time to work).

Should I go back to one of the above and stick it out for much much longer (how much longer?) Are there very special techniques to making any of the above successful? Have tried to follow directions. They don't bother me at all but I feel guilty that they may be contagious.

WWYD?

You can get freezing kit from chemists. ~£10 if I remember right. I used it successfully to get rid of a wart on my thumb which was right next to the nail and wouldn't budge with other treatment. It's a bit painful for a few seconds while you do the freezing, and I've not had any luck treating my son's verruca on his foot with it because after the first go he wouldn't let me anywhere near him for a second go. Depending on the size of the verruca you may need several freezes before you get rid of the whole of it. The kit comes with enough for 10 doses.

Firstly, stop feeling guilty. Although veruccas are contagious they are difficult to pass on and most people's immune systems will deal with the virus before they even know they've got it. I've had veruccas and none of the people I've been living with have caught them.

Secondly, nothing gets rid of a verucca except your immune system. All of the treatments "work" by provoking your immune system into responding. However, the evidence for them working is very patchy. The best treatment is to do nothing. They will eventually disappear.

You should try the freezing treatments but after all of what you have tried you need to go back and speak to the GP. Are these the same veruccas? You aren't getting reinfected by family member / going swimming etc?

If so things like this can be a sign of a weakened immune system. So go discuss with your doctor.

My DH has made an appointment at our GP's 'verruca clinic' to have his cut out. The local pharmacist told him about it - he had his removed there. It only happens once a month apparently, whilst he has been waiting he has been filing the verruca down with a heavy duty foot file/pedegg type thing. Just filing it down regularly has helped apparently.

Had loads of them little buggers for years and like you tried everything. Eventually plucked up courage and accepted that I needed to give up my time for appointments to get the nurse at my gps to freeze them. 3 or 4 treatments and they were completely gone. Best thing I ever did. I don't think the over the counter treatments are quite as good. The nurse cuts away the old dead stuff each treatment to get right to the heart of the verruca.

Cutting bits away with a scalpel is what they did fortnightly at the private clinic, Supergreen, so sounds like what I've already tried for a long time.

Still, thanks very much for replies, some things I haven't tried there, at least. I don't think there's anything wrong with my immune system, but will keep it in mind.

I tried everything for 8 years to get rid of my one stubborn verruca. Then I bought the freezing kit from the chemist. Job done in one go.

I bought the freezing kit last week (£12 from Boots) and have treated DD1 and DD2's veruccas. They found it a little painful, but we are now watching with interest to see if they blister and drop off as promised.

I had them for months when I was younger, tried loads of treatments that did not work. Visited a different GP who said to put sea sand in my shoes (pref trainers) and wear them daily for a few weeks. Verrucas cleared up withing a week and never had them back.

Good luck getting rid of them.

That sand thing is interesting! I had a hideous enormous thing (nearly the size of my foot) for a couple of years and tried everything, including expensive chiropody. Went on honeymoon to the caribbean and it disappeared the week we got back.

She froze them though and you said you had not had them frozen so doesn't sound the same. Before each freeze she would get rid of the top layer. I can totally vouch for freezing them.

My DP had loads on his feet. Had them frozen off at GPs surgery by nurse. Very successful and they've never come back.

Both my teenage daughters have them, and we have done home freezing for ages, plus one has had hers frozen by GP; they are still there, although one does seem to be shrinking finally. Daughters both v healthy otherwise, although obviously not as healthy as the verrucas themselves. I do think freezing might be working finally, but with gnarled old ancient ones it doesn't seem to be instantly effective.

Don't give up! It took me over a year to get rid of 2 on my feet. I had them frozen every 2 weeks at the gp (v sore) but hid pain so they would freeze that little bit more! Then bazuka the verucca cream every day, file and cut with nail clippers each day without fail. One day after about 13 months the entire root fell out. It was HUGE and left a hole in my foot! Yuk

Don't give up, I got rid of mine after 20odd years , in the end what really worked was combo of banana skin/tape + cutting out when very soft (myself, so no cost or time off ). I also took zinc supplement intermittently, that may have helped.
I honestly thought it (well, THEY as there were 2 colonies) was with me for life, so I am mega delighted that they are now GONE. I would say the whole treatment was at least a year, but on and off as I was at a point of giving up more than once. Prior to that I did have a selection of chemist stuff, but that didn't even make a dent as I was expecting it to work overnight I suppose. With tape/banana skin you can at least do it all at home.

Keep going!

I suppose part of the secret is to ignore all the warnings on the freezing stuff saying on no account do for more than 3 treatments, etc...
What are you meant to do with the banana skin again, please?

Agree with nocake - my dd's feet were plastered with verrucae. We tried everything to no avail - ultimately got bored and lax about the treatment and did nothing for a while...eventually they completely disappeared (she probably had them for around a year)

Don't use duct tape, use electrical insulation tape. Worked for dd's, which she'd had for nearly a year.

Use the scholl verrucca plasters. They have the highest concentration of saliycilic acid I've seen.

Also don't just apply treatments and expect that alone to work. It only kills the top layer of it. Use the plasters, use them day and night for at least a month and after the bath or shower on a daily basis use an emery board to file down and remove the dead top layer. If you don't file away the dead layer and apply the treatment to the enxt layer down, they won't come off.

This is not an exaggeration. I had about eight verrucas on one foot for about a year, tried everything to get rid of them. One day, I realised my foot had not been hurting for a few days, and I looked and they had all gone.

Chiropodist told me that my body must have fought off the virus :)

I think i am going to have to take my son to the doctors with his. He had one verucca on his foot, i took him to the chiropodist (sp) for new insoles for his flat feet and she noticed the verucca. She asked if i wanted her to treat it and i said 'ok'. She filed aways some of the skin around the verruca and put some treatment on and said that should do the trick!! Well it hasn't...they have spread like wildfire!!!! I am worried now that more treatent will do the same and even more will appear??? I wish she never treated it in the first place as it may well have gone by itself!

I found the only thing that worked was plasters with 40% salicylic acid. Needs a few weeks treatment.

neat lemon oil (make sure it is 100% lemon oil from a reputable seller) applied 3 times per day to the verruca (and not to the skin around) will have them gone in less than 14 days. Has worked every time, with everyone I know.

Good luck, veruccas are nasty little suckers.

I had one...then ended up with clusters of them, tried banana skins and some paint on stuff-didnt work at all.

would you believe they just disappeared on their own and have never returned.