Verruca Treatment/Cryo Surgery

A verucca, otherwise known as a plantar wart, is a wart caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) occurring on the sole or toes of the foot.

Infection generally occurs from moist walking surfaces, for example swimming pools or showers. The virus may survive for many months without a host, therefore it is highly contagious to people who habitually wear shoes.

 Cryosurgery is used in the treatment of verrucas, it is a freezing process that kills the virus. The gas used in cryosurgery is nitrous oxide; it is stored in a cylinder in liquid form at -90 degrees. The nitrous oxide treatment acts by freezing the internal cell structure of the warts hence destroying the live tissue.

Once a verruca has been frozen it ceases to be contagious, therefore swimming, showering and bathing can be done without fear of spreading the virus around to others. Also there is no need to treat the verrucas yourself in between chiropody treatments.

Cryosurgery offers the most effective way of killing and removing the verruca virus. Three or more cryo sessions may be required for successful treatment of the verucca.