Verrucas (foot warts) and skin warts are caused by HPV viruses. They’re harmless, very common, and most clear up by themselves — but they can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, and persistently slow to resolve. Treatment options range from simple home care to in-clinic cryotherapy.
Educational information — not a substitute for clinical assessment
This page describes verrucas and warts in general terms to help you decide whether assessment may be helpful. It is not a diagnostic tool. If you recognise yourself in what follows, please book a consultation.
Warts and verrucas are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) — a family of common viruses. The virus infects the top layer of skin and causes localised overgrowth, producing the characteristic raised, rough, sometimes cauliflower-like surface. The HPV strains causing skin warts are different from those causing cervical or genital warts; they’re not sexually transmitted.
Warts are extremely common — particularly in children and young adults. Around 1 in 3 children will have one at some point. They spread through direct contact (touching the wart, walking barefoot in shared changing rooms) and via contaminated surfaces.
of warts resolve on their own within 2 years. Persistent or symptomatic warts can be treated, but no treatment guarantees rapid clearance.
Firm, raised, rough lumps. Most often on hands, fingers, knees. Can be single or multiple. Sometimes have small black dots inside (thrombosed blood vessels — not “seeds” despite the popular myth).
Warts on the soles of the feet, usually pressed inward by body weight. Often painful, particularly on weight-bearing surfaces (heel, ball of foot). May have a rough surface with characteristic black dots inside. Can grow in clusters (mosaic warts).
Smaller, smoother, often grouped. Common on the face, neck, hands. Particularly affect children.
Warts around fingernails or toenails. Often difficult to treat because of the nail structure.
Long, finger-like projections, often on the face or neck. Stand out from the skin.
Often yes — though it can take time. The immune system eventually recognises and clears the virus.
For asymptomatic, uncomplicated warts, doing nothing is a reasonable option. The cost-benefit of treatment depends on how much they bother you.
Treatment is appropriate when:
Reasonable first-line for most warts, particularly in children and for non-painful lesions.
Topical preparations applied daily over weeks to months. Mechanism: keratolysis — gently destroying the top layer of skin where the virus lives, stimulating immune response. Tips for effectiveness:
Some evidence that covering warts with duct tape continuously for weeks can promote resolution. Theory: irritation triggers immune response. Cheap, harmless. Worth trying alongside other treatments.
For non-painful, non-prominent warts in children, watchful waiting is often the right call.
The most commonly used in-clinic treatment. Liquid nitrogen is applied to the wart, freezing it to around -196°C. This destroys the infected skin cells and triggers an immune response.
How it works:
Cryotherapy works for around 50–75% of warts after a course of treatments. Not every wart responds. Sessions usually take 10–15 minutes.
Scraping the wart away under local anaesthetic. Suits prominent or persistent warts but leaves a small wound that needs to heal. Higher risk of recurrence than excision for some warts.
For resistant warts we may prescribe stronger topical treatments. Several options exist, discussed in consultation. UK law prevents naming specific medications on this website.
If warts haven’t responded to multiple treatment attempts:
To reduce spread and recurrence:
Book a consultation if:
Cryotherapy: usually 3–5 sessions at 2–4 week intervals. Salicylic acid: 2–3 months of daily application. Some warts respond faster; others much slower.
Current prices are on our Fees page. Cryotherapy is typically priced per session.
Some UK PMI policies cover wart treatment when warts are causing functional problems (painful verruca, etc.). Cosmetic treatment is usually not covered. We provide procedure codes.
Yes — mildly so. Direct skin-to-skin contact and shared surfaces can spread the virus, particularly in moist environments (swimming pools, gyms). Family members can pass them around.
Cryotherapy usually doesn’t leave significant scarring. Salicylic acid generally doesn’t either. Curettage and electrosurgery may leave a small mark.
Cryotherapy stings briefly during application (a few seconds) and the area may be sore for 24–48 hours. Most people, including children, tolerate it well.
It can be used in children, but cooperation matters. For very young children, less aggressive home treatment is usually preferable. School-age children typically tolerate cryotherapy well.
Be cautious with foot lesions. Don’t use over-the-counter aggressive treatments without medical supervision. Diabetic foot care needs more careful management; see us before self-treating.
Skin warts and verrucas don’t become cancerous. However, what looks like a long-standing verruca that won’t respond to treatment occasionally turns out to be something else on biopsy — rarely including skin cancer. Persistent treatment-resistant lesions warrant proper assessment.
Many NHS GP practices have withdrawn cryotherapy due to time pressures and resource issues. Many people with persistent verrucas can no longer get treatment from their NHS GP — hence the option of private care.
Care at MHW Clinic is delivered by a small clinical team, with Dr Haydar Bolat as Clinical Director. The specific clinicians involved in your care depend on the plan agreed with you at consultation.
UK-registered GP and Clinical Director at MHW. Provides verruca and wart assessment and treatment including cryotherapy, prescription topical treatments where indicated, and referral to dermatology for persistent or extensive lesions.
View profileLanguages spoken across the team: English, Turkish, Bulgarian, Bengali, Hindi, Albanian, Azerbaijani, German, Romanian. We can also arrange professional telephone interpreters in most other languages at no extra cost. More on languages and interpreters →
This page was reviewed by Dr Haydar Bolat, Clinical Director at MHW Clinic. Content is based on NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries on warts and verrucae, British Association of Dermatologists guidance, and current UK clinical practice and current UK clinical practice. It is updated when guidance changes. Educational information only — not a substitute for clinical assessment.
Book a consultation. We’ll discuss what’s likely to work for your specific verruca and start treatment.