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Original poster

Really stubborn verruca

46 replies

uthredswife · 19/02/2024 07:12

My 13 year old has a giant verruca under her heel. It's really painful to walk on and as a consequence she's not walking anywhere (she winces every time she puts weight on it). She's has 3 cryotherapy sessions but no improvement. She's also leaving duct tape on it most of the time. It's actually really upsetting seeing her in so much pain all the time. Anyone any ideas what to try next? I see needling and chemical type treatments on line. I'm happy to spend money to resolve this. She's actually begged us to get it cut out but I don't think that's an option any more. Thus far her GP has been treating her but I will bring her elsewhere. Thanks

OP posts:
DodgeDog · 19/02/2024 07:15

Apply Neat tea-tree twice a day for a fortnight. It will fall off

Hoglet70 · 19/02/2024 07:16

A Chiropodist will cut it out. You'll just have to pay unfortunately.

anunlikelyseahorse · 19/02/2024 07:39

I went through a spate of getting verrucas, the only thing that worked, and she'll need to do it religiously morning and evening 1) put a corn pad over the verruca (a normal spongy corn plaster, not one with the removal stuff in it). 2)Using a small cut off bit of makeup cotton wool pads, chop a tiny bit off and 3) soak in cider vinegar. 4) Put the soaked cotton on the verruca, and 5) cover the whole thing with a large plaster. Change the cotton wool every morning and evening. In two to three weeks the verruca will have gone....or in my case in dropped off in my bed 🤮! She'll only need to change the corn pad when it's looking like it need to be replaced. The corn pad helps take the pressure off the verruca when she is walking.
Failing that a podiatrist.

solice84 · 19/02/2024 07:59

Only thing that worked for me was ramping up my vitamin intake

porridgecake · 19/02/2024 08:07

The only thing that ever worked for me is the OTC freezy stuff. Has the GP said why they think the cryo isn't working?

BaroqueInterlude · 19/02/2024 08:12

If it's huge, home remedies aren't going to work on it; I think you'll need to pay for private treatment. A verruca is a virus, and most home remedies are based on natural antivirals, but they won't be able to 'keep up' with a huge one.

Original poster
uthredswife · 19/02/2024 08:21

anunlikelyseahorse · 19/02/2024 07:39

I went through a spate of getting verrucas, the only thing that worked, and she'll need to do it religiously morning and evening 1) put a corn pad over the verruca (a normal spongy corn plaster, not one with the removal stuff in it). 2)Using a small cut off bit of makeup cotton wool pads, chop a tiny bit off and 3) soak in cider vinegar. 4) Put the soaked cotton on the verruca, and 5) cover the whole thing with a large plaster. Change the cotton wool every morning and evening. In two to three weeks the verruca will have gone....or in my case in dropped off in my bed 🤮! She'll only need to change the corn pad when it's looking like it need to be replaced. The corn pad helps take the pressure off the verruca when she is walking.
Failing that a podiatrist.

Thanks all. I will try a chiropodist next. There are local podiatrists that do chemical stuff but I'm hesitate to keep bouncing between treatments. My DD is really suffering. The doc said the verruca was the size of 6 normal verruca so I think it's a bit of a beast.

I think we've exhausted natural remedies on this. Part of the issue is that there is thick heel skin covering it so I don't think anything we've tried is actually getting access to it.

OP posts:
PiggyPlumPie · 19/02/2024 08:30

I had a really stubborn one dry needled. Not for the faint hearted though! Fairly painful...

Original poster
uthredswife · 19/02/2024 09:45

PiggyPlumPie · 19/02/2024 08:30

I had a really stubborn one dry needled. Not for the faint hearted though! Fairly painful...

Can you tell me a little more about dry needling? Can they give local aesthetic and are multiple sessions required?

OP posts:
Original poster
uthredswife · 19/02/2024 09:46

Also just learned that podiatrist and chiropodist are the same thing. Every day's a school day

OP posts:
PiggyPlumPie · 19/02/2024 11:06

Sure, I had an injection to numb my foot which was pretty ouchy. Then the guy repeatedly stabbed the verruca with a needle until it was a mangled mess.

It was dressed and I had to go back after maybe a week to have it debrided. That might have been repeated - it was about 2010, so can't quite remember!

The verruca cleared up beautifully and so did the small ones that weren't touched. The theory is that the needling stimulates the immune system into seeing them off.

Pain wise, I seem to remember the first day or so being sore but not too much after that.

Hoplolly · 19/02/2024 11:14

Both my kids struggled for ages with persistant verrucas - we tried everything going but in the end they literally cleared up overnight as eventually your immune system kicks in and will see them off. However, that's not helpful if they are painful so I would book in to see a chiropodist and get it cut out, that's what I did myself for a painful one years ago. It didn't hurt at all and the relief was instant!

SoYoung · 19/02/2024 18:31

Sweat. It's a long time ago, I was about 18 and I'd had a bad one for about 2 years, we'd tried everything. Been to the doctor's, bazucca, all the home remedies and old wives tales. Freezing it, having top layers scraped off by GP, awful. Nothing worked and I'd pretty much given up on it.

Then I got a summer job and the type of shoes I had to wear made my feet sweat like hell. No socks, all day every day, 5 days a week. It was absolutely gross but the sweat basically smothered the verucca and it couldn't survive the sweaty conditions.

By the end of the six weeks it was gone, I couldn't believe it. My teen ds had one a few years ago and it worked for him too so I don't think it was a fluke. Get her wearing some plasticcy ballet flats round the house.

CrimpitsareforlifeandnotjustforChristmas · 19/02/2024 18:39

I feel your pain. My DD had one for about 18 months, which got progressively worse. We saw a podiatrist repeatedly, duct tape, every treatment going and absolutely nothing worked. After contacting private healthcare in desperation, we ended up having Swift microwave treatment. Cost a bomb but did completely resolve it in three visits (sometimes only one is needed). The skin on her foot had completely broken down due to covering it.

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 19/02/2024 18:46

I am a specialist in this field. Unfortunately, being a virus it is unknown as to which treatments will work. Laser, needling or Swift are options,but i have seen many a verruca resist all options. I tend to prefer the traditional treatments, as i am not overly convinced about the efficacy of the above.

FYI a Pod and Chiropodist are different in terms of what they can deliver treatment wise. And we do not “ cut out” a virus ie veruccas or recommend duct tape, which is not recommended for use on skin. Try zinc oxide tape instead.

Original poster
uthredswife · 19/02/2024 21:11

WowIlikereallyhateyou · 19/02/2024 18:46

I am a specialist in this field. Unfortunately, being a virus it is unknown as to which treatments will work. Laser, needling or Swift are options,but i have seen many a verruca resist all options. I tend to prefer the traditional treatments, as i am not overly convinced about the efficacy of the above.

FYI a Pod and Chiropodist are different in terms of what they can deliver treatment wise. And we do not “ cut out” a virus ie veruccas or recommend duct tape, which is not recommended for use on skin. Try zinc oxide tape instead.

Sincere thanks for all the messages. This situation is certainly not unique. The idea of activating her immune system really rings true though. She had awful molluscum all over her legs when she was small which didn't budge till she accidently pulled one off and they all cleared up within a few weeks. It's like her body needed reminding.

@WowIlikereallyhateyou what would you recommend as try next? I have looked up podiatrists and chiropodist and can't actually find any of the latter. We're in Ireland so perhaps it's slightly different. Money is no object, I just need to get her moving again!

OP posts:
Hoplolly · 19/02/2024 22:09

FYI a Pod and Chiropodist are different in terms of what they can deliver treatment wise. And we do not “ cut out” a virus ie veruccas or recommend duct tape, which is not recommended for use on skin. Try zinc oxide tape instead.

@WowIlikereallyhateyou I know you work in this area but mine was definitely cut out by the chiropodist - she dug that bad boy out with a scalpel. Obviously doesn't get rid of the virus...

happyshineyperson · 19/02/2024 22:14

Please see someone asap if she can’t walk properly. I had a verruca on the ball of my foot for several years and finally had it dry needled over a decade ago, which worked. Unfortunately I had had it so long that I changed the way I walked and I got bad SPD on that side in both my pregnancies (which were years after the removal). Even now my foot/calf on that side are more tense than the other and I have to go for periodic physio to release the muscles and have a horrible hard bit of skin where the verruca was. Get rid of it ASAP before it gets to the point where it affects her later in life.

lostwithoutpronouns · 19/02/2024 22:16

Consider footner peel to clear thickened skin and make it more accessible?

And like someone said, up her vitamins.

Shinyandnew1 · 19/02/2024 22:17

We finally got rid of DS’s one by painting it every night with nail polish-it just fell out after about a week. We’d tried lots of over the counter remedies prior to this which didn’t do anything.

Singasongofsixpence24 · 19/02/2024 22:18

Cider vinegar on tissue covered with duct tape worked for us as well. We rubbed an emery board on it to break down the skin covering it to start. Change the tissue twice a day. It turned black after a couple of days and was completely gone after about 2 weeks. It wasn't huge but was getting bigger.

MissisBoote · 19/02/2024 23:53

My daughter had a hideous one that covered pretty much most of the ball of her foot. She had swift therapy and we think that was the thing that did the trick. It's not necessarily an overnight solution though as for some people it takes time for the immune system to recognise what was going on. I think my daughter had six treatments on a monthly basis and then it took about 4 more months til it eventually disappeared.

My daughter's verruca ended up getting really thick skin on it and was very uncomfortable to walk on so I bought a bulk load of scalpel blades and used to debride it at home every few days. Obviously you need to make sure that everything is sterile etc when you do this as you don't want to risk further spreading the verruca, but it was the only way that we could keep her comfortable.

bellabelly · 20/02/2024 00:05

My son has recently had the needling treatment - not cheap (about £200) but seems to be working so far. He's had a couple of follow up appointments and now has to wait for the verrucas to fall off and then he'll have a (hopefully) final appt. He had to have a local anaesthetic for the initial needling and it was a bit sore for a couple of days after. But hopefully will be worth it in the end - he's had these verrucas for years and we've wasted so much time/money/energy trying to get rid of them with Bazooka etc.

Original poster
uthredswife · 20/02/2024 09:17

Thanks all. I am going to pursue the needling treatment next. She has one more cryotherapy booked in for this Friday so we'll do that and if I don't see a change in a week I will book the needling. I also found clinics that do swift nearby.

I am actually really concerned about how its effecting her walk and her fitness. But all treatments take literal months and this only got bad in November. She's not a complainer so I suspect she was tolerating the pain till it got really bad.

OP posts:
Munchyseeds2 · 20/02/2024 11:27

Thuja tablets worked finally for my DD, it's a homeopathy tablet.
Worth a try?
Took a few weeks but it just disappeared