Verrucas are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). You pick up the virus by direct contact through tiny breaks in the skin of your foot. Common transmission points are swimming pools, public changing rooms, gym showers and shared towels. Children catch verrucas more easily than adults because their immune systems haven't yet learned to fight off the virus.

A verruca looks like a small, rough, raised lump on the sole of the foot, often with a cauliflower-like surface. You may see tiny black dots (clotted capillaries) within it. Verrucas can be painful when pressed sideways and on weight bearing if they're on a load-bearing area of the foot. Sometimes they appear in clusters (mosaic verrucas) or as satellite lesions around a main verruca.

Diagnosis is straightforward at a clinical examination. The podiatrist looks at the appearance of the lesion, location, any black dots and how it responds to squeezing. We can also tell verrucas apart from corns and calluses (which are often confused) by careful examination.

We offer the evidence-based treatments shown to work best for stubborn verrucas:

• Verruca needling under local anaesthetic: stimulates the body's immune system to clear the virus from within
• Clinical-grade topical care stronger than chemist remedies
• Cryotherapy (freezing) for selected cases
• Curettage and debridement when appropriate

We choose the best approach based on the verruca type, location, age and how it has responded to previous treatments.

Verruca needling is performed under local anaesthetic so you feel pressure but no pain during the procedure. A fine needle is used to repeatedly puncture the verruca, breaking up the tissue and pushing virus particles into the deeper layers of skin. This triggers a powerful immune response that clears the virus from within. The procedure takes around 20 minutes and most patients only need one or two sessions.

Most single verrucas respond to one needling session. Mosaic or recurrent verrucas sometimes need a second session after a few months. Verrucas treated with topical care alone typically need 4 to 8 visits spaced a few weeks apart. We'll give you a realistic timeline at your first appointment based on what you've already tried.

The local anaesthetic injection at the start is the only uncomfortable part and takes about 30 seconds. After that you feel pressure but no pain. The treated area can be tender for a few days afterwards and we give you everything you need for comfortable healing.

Yes, transmission within a household is possible especially through shared showers, towels and floors. The risk is small for adults with intact skin and a healthy immune system but higher for children. Wearing flip-flops in shared showers, not sharing towels and covering active verrucas with a waterproof plaster significantly reduces spread.

For your first appointment, allow up to 60 minutes. This gives us enough time for a thorough history, examination and treatment in the same visit. Follow-up treatments are typically up to 30 minutes for the vast majority of cases. We'll confirm the exact length when you book.

No. You can book a podiatry appointment directly with us with no GP referral needed. We can write to your GP after your appointment if there's anything they should know.

Wear something comfortable that's easy to roll up to the knee. Bring the shoes you wear most often (we'll often look at how they're wearing for biomechanical clues). If you've had any imaging or test results related to your feet, bring those too. Otherwise just bring yourself.

Podiatry & chiropody is available at our Great Dunmow clinic at 12 Stortford Road, CM6 1DA. The clinic has on-site disabled parking available on request. Just give us a call ahead of your appointment.