Verrucae are persistent things and can be no trouble at all and disappear by themselves. Sometimes though, they can be extremely painful, especially on weight bearing areas of the foot and require determination to get rid of.
Verrucae are a type of wart. The NHS Choices website gives this information:
“Warts aren’t considered very contagious, but they can be caught by close skin-to-skin contact. The infection can also be transmitted indirectly from contaminated objects or surfaces, such as the area surrounding a swimming pool.
You are more likely to get infected if your skin is wet or damaged. After you become infected, it can take weeks or even months for a wart or verruca to appear.
Most warts are harmless and clear up without treatment.
The length of time it takes a wart to disappear will vary from person to person. It may take up to two years for the viral infection to leave your system and for the wart to disappear.
You might decide to treat your wart if it is painful, or in an area that is causing discomfort or embarrassment.
Common methods of treatment include:
- salicylic acid
- cryotherapy (freezing the skin cells)
- duct tape
- chemical treatments
Treatment for warts is not always completely effective, and a wart will sometimes return following treatment. ”
Whilst the dance studio is generally not a wet floor, the children do get very hot and feet get sweaty. This is a great environment to pass verrucae on, so please check your child’s feet regularly and treat any verrucae you spot. Please send your child with a pair of socks to save spreading the virus.
Over time, I have had verrucae several times. The best remedy I have found is the following:
Use Salicylic acid (the Schol Gel one has worked for me) – clean the foot and remove any dead skin. Apply the gel and allow to dry fully. Cover the verruca with a tiny disk of duct tape – you will be smothering the verruca. Then cover with a plaster and leave at least 24 hours. If you can successfully cover leave a treated verruca around 3 days, you will be able to see a big difference quite soon. Again, clean the foot and remove all dead skin. Repeat the treatment process on a daily basis if the duct tape / plaster fall off – or on a 3 day basis if not. Keep going until the verruca has got the message and gone!
