Verruca Removal in Stansted Mountfitchet
Not sure if it’s a verruca? Send me a photo on WhatsApp on 07546 096346 and I’ll let you know, free of charge.
Verrucas can be painful, stubborn and really get in the way of everyday life, from walking and running to swimming and wearing sandals. I remove verrucas at my private clinic in Stansted Mountfitchet, just a few minutes from Bishop’s Stortford and Stansted Airport. I’ll be honest with you from the start: verrucas usually need more than one treatment, and I explain exactly why below.
What Are Verrucas?
A verruca is a wart on the sole of the foot, also known as a plantar wart. Like all warts, verrucas are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which enters through tiny cuts or breaks in the skin.
Because you walk on them, verrucas get pushed into the skin. This makes them flatter and harder than other warts, often with a layer of hard skin on top, and they can feel like standing on a small stone.
How to Spot a Verruca
- A small, hard, flat patch on the sole of the foot, heel or toes
- Tiny black dots in the centre, which are small, clotted blood vessels
- Pain or tenderness when you walk or squeeze it from the sides
- Skin lines on the foot that go around it rather than through it
Sometimes several verrucas grow close together in a cluster. These are called mosaic verrucas, and they can take a little longer to clear.
How Do You Catch Verrucas?
Verrucas spread easily in warm, damp places where people walk barefoot, such as swimming pools, changing rooms, communal showers and gyms. The virus can also spread from one part of your foot to another, or between family members who share towels or walk barefoot at home.
How I Remove Verrucas
My preferred treatment for adults is electrocautery. I use a fine probe with a mild electrical current to treat the verruca precisely. In my experience, it’s usually the most effective option, and most people need fewer treatments with it than with freezing. It can feel a little more uncomfortable, which is why I recommend numbing cream beforehand.
CryoPen: An Alternative When Electrocautery Isn’t Suitable
If electrocautery isn’t suitable for you, for example if you have a pacemaker or another implanted electrical device, I use CryoPen instead. CryoPen freezes the verruca with a precise jet of nitrous oxide. It’s quick, gentle and needle free, although it may take a few more sessions. The price is exactly the same whichever method I use.
Want to know more about the difference? Read my guide to electrocautery vs CryoPen.
Why Do Verrucas Need More Than One Treatment?
Verrucas are caused by a virus that lives in the skin. Treatment removes the verruca you can see, but the virus can still be present in the skin around it. Each treatment also helps prompt your immune system to recognise the virus and fight it off.
Because verrucas are pushed deep into the skin by walking, they’re often more stubborn than warts elsewhere on the body, especially if they’ve been there a long time. Everyone’s immune system is different, so some clear after a couple of treatments, while others take several. I’ll always be honest about what to expect, and advise you on the best timing between treatments.
Does Verruca Removal Hurt?
Most people find it very manageable. For electrocautery, I recommend buying EMLA numbing cream from your local pharmacy and applying it generously about one and a half hours before your appointment, covering it with cling film and topping it up as it sinks in. Without numbing cream you may feel some discomfort, which most of my clients find easy to tolerate. CryoPen feels like a brief cold sting.
What Happens at Your Appointment
Before you even come to the clinic, I’ll ask you to complete a medical history form. This means I already know which treatment suits you before you arrive, so I never waste your time. At your appointment, I’ll take a look at your verruca and talk you through the plan. Once we’re both happy, I’ll treat it there and then, and go through your aftercare before you leave.
Aftercare and Healing
After electrocautery, a small scab forms over the treated area. Keep it clean and dry, and let the scab fall off naturally, which usually takes around 7 to 10 days. After CryoPen, the area may darken slightly, then dry and fall away within one to three weeks.
The area may feel a little tender for a few days, so comfortable shoes help. I give every client verbal and written aftercare.
Verruca Removal Prices
I don’t charge per verruca. Instead, you pay for treatment time, and the price is the same whether I use electrocautery or CryoPen.
Package 1: £180 for 14 minutes of treatment time
Package 2: £280 for 30 minutes of treatment time
For verrucas, 14 minutes is almost always plenty of time, so most people only ever need Package 1 for each session. As most verrucas need more than one treatment, you’ll book a new session each time.
A consultation is £25, either in clinic or by WhatsApp video call, and comes off your treatment price if you go ahead.
Verruca Removal FAQs
How many treatments will I need?
Everyone is different, as it depends on how your immune system responds and how long you’ve had the verruca. Some clear in a couple of sessions, but many need several. I’ll give you an honest idea at your appointment.
Are verrucas contagious?
Yes. To help stop them spreading, don’t pick or scratch them, don’t share towels or socks, wear flip flops in communal showers and changing rooms, and change your socks every day.
Can I go swimming with a verruca?
After treatment, wait until the area has healed. Once it has, cover any verruca with a waterproof plaster or wear a verruca sock when swimming, to help protect others.
Can I still exercise after treatment?
Yes, but the area may feel tender for a few days. Wear comfortable, supportive trainers and keep the treated area clean and dry.
What’s the difference between a verruca and a corn?
Both can feel like a small stone under your foot. Verrucas often have tiny black dots in the centre and hurt more when squeezed from the sides, while corns usually hurt when pressed directly. If you’re unsure, send me a photo and I’ll let you know.
What are mosaic verrucas?
Mosaic verrucas are clusters of verrucas growing close together. I can treat them, although they often take a few more sessions to clear.
I’ve tried treatments from the chemist. Can you still help?
Yes. Many of my clients come to me after shop bought verruca treatments haven’t worked. Please don’t try to cut or burn a verruca off at home, as this can cause infection and scarring.
Will my verruca come back?
Once a verruca has fully cleared, it’s unlikely to come back in the same spot. However, as verrucas are caused by a virus, you can catch a new one if you come into contact with the virus again.
Do you treat children?
Yes, I treat children aged 10 and above with parental consent, using CryoPen only. You can find out more on my children’s wart and verruca removal page.
Do you treat warts on other areas too?
Yes. You can find out more on my wart removal page.
Verruca Removal Near Me
My clinic is at Unit 5, The Courtyard, Forest Hall Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, CM24 8TS, with easy parking. I see clients from Stansted Mountfitchet, Bishop’s Stortford, Saffron Walden, Takeley, Elsenham, Great Dunmow, Harlow and across Essex and Hertfordshire.
Verruca Removal Results
Here are some real examples of verrucas I’ve treated at my clinic in Stansted Mountfitchet. Every client is different, but these give you a good idea of what to expect.
I also offer mole removal, skin tag removal, wart removal, children’s wart and verruca removal, milia removal, cherry angioma and spider angioma removal, seborrhoeic keratosis removal and facial thread vein removal.
Book Your Verruca Removal
Ready to say goodbye to your verrucas? Book online or call me on 07546 096346. Have a question first? Message me on WhatsApp and I’ll be happy to help. With over 180 five star reviews, you’re in safe hands.