When I meet clients who have a verruca, 99% tell me they have tried everything over the counter and more than once, and nothing has been successful, and/or it went away but is back.
Verrucas can be incredibly stubborn, and if you’ve been treating one for weeks or even months with little success, you’re definitely not alone. They have a frustrating way of improving slightly, looking like they’re disappearing, and then reappearing just when you think you’re winning.
The reason for that often comes down to what a verruca actually is. It isn’t just thickened skin on the foot. It’s caused by a virus. The human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus lives within the skin cells. So when you’re treating a verruca, you’re not simply removing hard skin; you’re trying to help your body clear a viral infection.
And that’s where the immune system comes in.
Some people’s immune systems recognise the virus quickly and clear it naturally. In others, the body doesn’t mount a strong response, allowing the virus to linger. This is why verrucas can sit unchanged for months, suddenly shrink, partially respond to treatment, or seem to “come back” after looking better. Often, it hasn’t truly gone; it’s just been reduced on the surface while the viral tissue remains deeper in the skin.
Because verrucas are on weight-bearing areas of the foot, pressure from walking can push them inward. That’s why they can feel tender and why home treatments don’t always reach the full depth of the lesion. Over-the-counter treatments usually rely on acids or mild freezing methods. They can work, but they require consistency and patience, and they aren’t always strong enough for more established verrucas.
I often see people who have tried everything at home. Filing, acids, freezing kits, and what’s happened: the surface has been irritated or partially reduced, but the underlying viral tissue hasn’t fully resolved. Sometimes the surrounding skin becomes inflamed, making it harder to assess properly.
The reassuring part is that verrucas are extremely common. They are not a sign of poor hygiene. They’re simply persistent. When one keeps returning or doesn’t respond to home treatment, it’s usually a sign that a more tailored approach is needed.
In my clinic, the first step is always proper assessment. I make sure it is definitely a verruca and not another type of lesion. I treat using diathermy, which is the method I use for all my treatments. For me, this is by far the most effective way of treating a verruca, as whilst the tissue on the outside is killed off, it is hoped that the heat from the probe triggers an immune response, so your body will start to fight the virus.
This is by no means a quick solution; some I have seen go in one session, while others may take a few or more. Equally, once gone, it may not mean it will never come back, as we don’t know whether it means the virus has been killed off. What we do know, from seeing many cases, is that diathermy gives it the best chance.