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" Question I&amp;#039;ve had a verruca on the bottom of my foot for around three years now.  It covers the area of a 10p piece, and goes very deep so can be very uncomfortable when walking and standing.  I use a file weekly to rub the skin off, but have yet to come to the actual infected area. I used to get it pared down professionally by a chiropodist, for about a year.  We tried all kinds of treatments, including salicylic acid, but they made no impact.  Is there a herbal remedy I could try, or could I get it frozen/cut out, as I am really sick of it!    Answer Verrucas are extremely common and are caused by infection with a human papilloma virus (HPV).  These warts often persist for several years if not treated, but they are self-limiting and eventually develop an immune response that is sufficient to mop-up the wart infection. The hard dead skin of a verruca often results in pain and a feeling like walking with a stone in the shoe, so it is well worth paring the surface to remove the excess horny skin as you are doing.  Eventually, providing you have an intact immune system, you can expect your problem to resolve without treatment. In the meantime, do not undergo treatments that risk damage to the healthy tissue surrounding the wart.  You can no longer have warts cut out surgically, but you may try using applications of a 40 per cent salicylic acid plaster for a week, followed by salicylic acid-lactic acid in collodion.  Failing this, gentle application of liquid nitrogen (cryosurgery) may be tried by your GP, practice nurse, or chiropodist.  Remember that freezing kills the infected tissue but not the HPV and is usually repeated every four weeks until the warts disappear; it can be painful.  Electrocautery is more effective but more prone to produce scars. If you just cannot get rid of it, a dermatologist might use a carbon dioxide laser as a last resort.  However be patient warts do heal without scarring if allowed to resolve naturally.  Therapies such as cryotherapy (freezing) or electrocautery can result in life-long scarring at the sites of treatment.  Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team   Other Qs &amp;amp; As Administering wart medicine to a four-year-old Boils on the neck Facial wart Fluid filled cyst For how long do genital warts stay contagious? Getting rid of warts Help for impetigo Help for lipomas Horrible verruca on my foot How can I get rid of this wart beside my nipple? I have a lump on my vulva I have growths on my foreskin Little white spots under the foreskin Lumps of dead skin on my penis My daughter has small warts on her fingers Our daughter has molluscum &amp;amp;#8211; can we remove them ourselves? Plagued by verrucas Should I have my seborrhoeic wart removed? Small lumps around the circumference of my foreskin Small raised blisters on my daughter The head of my penis is swollen The skin surrounding my labia becomes inflamed These boils on my neck are making me really miserable Verruca treatment Verrucas Warts What treatment is available for warts on the hand? White spots on my penis Why am I getting these sores?   Last updated 12.03.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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