“My child has a verruca; how can I get rid of it?”  This is a common question that I get asked often, because it’s common for children to get verrucas. 

What might surprise you though, is my answer to this…

Is your child in any pain or discomfort?

Verrucas are a harmless skin virus, they are (mostly) a cosmetic problem.

Is your child complaining of any pain or discomfort? If the answer is No, then leave it alone.

Don’t rush into treatment. Their immune system is more active than an adult and verrucas will often resolve on their own after 12 months or so.

I am giving you permission to leave it alone!

The Verruca is causing pain, what should I do?

Verrucas get hard, what you can do is cover the area with sports tape, this keeps the area of the skin soft as the tape retains moisture, and this stops the verruca from getting hard and causing pain.

Would the Swift treatment work?

The Swift treatment creates a “heat shock” in the targeted skin cells to help rid you of the verruca, however it can hurt and If you’re tempted to opt for this treatment, I would recommend that you first read my blog article on what the Swift treatment is.

I’ll be honest. I won’t force a young child to take the Swift treatment, (even if their parent wants me to) especially children under the age of 14. It’s not suitable for young children due to the 2 seconds of intense discomfort it produces. all depends on the child and their pain tolerance.

Verrucas are a non-life-threatening medical problem; your child doesn’t have to undergo this treatment if they don’t want to.

As a parent, what should you do?

Monitor the verruca for any changes; listen to your child and what they are saying.

Are they now complaining about the verruca? Has it spread?

What to do…

• Cover the area in sports tape
• Keep calm
• Let the verruca resolve itself unless it’s causing pain or spreading
• Verrucas are contagious, contain the spread
• Listen to your child

What NOT to do…

• You don’t need to go out and buy specific gels that are marketed to help in the treatment of verrucas. They contain acid and can actually do more harm than good as they can cause tissue damage.
• Panic! Don’t panic, verrucas are a harmless skin virus
• Listen to what your child is telling you and monitor for any changes
• Don’t rush into treating it if your child isn’t complaining
• Don’t force your child into unnecessary treatment
• Don’t use duct tape (as an industrial tape, it is not skin friendly)

Verrucas are contagious

Yes, verrucas are contagious if you have a micro break or abrasion in the skin the particles can get in.

So, if you want to limit contact, here are a few easy steps you can do to help.

• Minimise bare foot floor contact (wear flip flops or other foot covering).
• Dry your feet properly (use talc to complete the drying process)
• Don’t run bare foot in public floor areas like changing rooms and poolsides. The more you run, the more you abrade the skin, the greater the chance of you picking up a verruca.

Not sure if it’s a verruca?

I’ve had clients contact me only to find out that their foot problem wasn’t a verruca at all, and if you aren’t sure if it’s a verruca or not, take a close up photograph of the area and send it to me. I’ll give it a visual look over before you’ve made an appointment.

Success stories

Want To hear a verruca success story? Click here to find out more.

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps put you at ease, Verrucas are nothing to be afraid of.

Dianne #pottypurplepod