Ridding the body of verrucae can be a challenging process. We offer a specialised technique - Verruca Needling Procedure - that can help.
Verrucae
What is it?
Verrucae are contagious lesions caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). They are often contracted in communal areas such as swimming pools and changing rooms. Infection occurs when the skin is broken. The virus invades the skin cells in the upper layers of the skin (the epidermis) and proliferates to cause a mass of tissue.
How do you treat it?
In order to successfully treat a verruca, every skin cell that is infected with the virus needs to be destroyed.
This is only possible with an antibody response produced by the body’s own immune system. In most cases verrucae will spontaneously resolve, especially in children where most verrucae will disappear within 2 years. However, some verrucae will take longer to disappear and the immune system needs a helping hand.
Note:
It is important to remember that there is no quick fix when it comes to ridding the body of verrucae. Any treatment plan undertaken is likely to take several months for verrucae to be banished.
Please note: The Verucca Needling Procedure is only available for those over 16 years old, though younger teenagers will be considered on an individual basis.
What is it?
Needling is a very effective and simple method of provoking a controlled immune response in order to eradicate verrucae. The procedure involves puncturing the verruca with a small sterile needle multiple times in order to introduce viral particles from the outer epidermal skin layers into the deeper subcutaneous tissue below where an immune response will be triggered and the virus destroyed.
How is it carried out?
The needling procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic. The ankle is injected to anaesthetise the nerves supplying the skin of the feet to ensure the foot is completely numb before proceeding.
The needling procedure itself is very simple and relatively quick. Once the procedure is complete, the treated area will be dressed and you will be asked to keep the dressing on and dry for 24 hours. You are not likely to feel any significant pain following the procedure other than bruising.
You will be asked to return to have the area of needling checked after 48 hours. The next part involves waiting for your immune system to get
to work.
If the treatment is successful, your verrucae will start to disappear. In some cases this occurs after 8 weeks though some take as long as 8 months. It may be necessary to repeat the procedure if an improvement is not noted after a few months.
Note:
As with all verrucae treatments, it is not possible to guarantee absolute success, though the Verruca Needling Procedure has a respectable 69% success rate (including patients that had a repeat needling procedure) and is considerably less painful and time consuming than other commonly used verruca treatments.
This procedure is only available for those over 16 years old, though younger teenagers will be considered on an individual basis.
