Verruca Treatment
Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod, October 2026
A verruca (plantar wart) is a wart on the sole of your foot caused by a virus. Many clear on their own, so treatment isn't always needed. If yours is painful or spreading, the usual options are salicylic acid (an acid that softens the wart) or freezing, and sometimes both. Treatment often takes months, no option works for everyone, and verrucae can come back. People with diabetes or poor circulation should talk to their GP or podiatrist before starting any treatment.
What is it?
A verruca is a wart on the sole of your foot. It is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Most people's immune systems clear this virus in time.
Verruca treatment mostly aims to destroy or soften the wart tissue so it falls away. The two most common approaches are salicylic acid (an acid that softens and peels away the wart) and cryotherapy (freezing the wart, usually with liquid nitrogen). Some people have both.
No treatment works for everyone. Verrucae are known for being stubborn, and they can make walking uncomfortable.
What is it used for?
Treatment is used for verrucae and other warts on the skin. Many verrucae go away without treatment and without scarring, usually within six months to two years. Treatment is usually not needed unless the verruca is very painful or spreading.
For verrucae, the best-supported options are salicylic acid and freezing. These are the usual first choices, for children as well as adults. If salicylic acid hasn't worked, freezing is likely to help.
There are newer options. A combination acid preparation (cantharidin with podophyllotoxin and salicylic acid) has cleared 81 to 100 per cent of plantar warts in children and adults, most after a single treatment. Local heat treatment (hyperthermia) cleared the wart completely in 53.57 per cent of people with plantar warts, compared with 11.54 per cent given a sham treatment, three months after finishing. Reports on these options are limited, and they are not widely available. Don't assume they are better than standard care.
Is it right for me?
If your verruca isn't painful or spreading, doing nothing is a reasonable first choice. You can ask your podiatrist or pharmacist whether watching and waiting suits you.
If you want treatment, simple, well-tolerated options come first, such as over-the-counter products from the pharmacy. Ask for spoken and written instructions on how to use them. The best choice depends on your age and wishes, possible side effects, where the verruca is, and how many there are and how big they are.
If you have diabetes, don't start any verruca treatment without first talking to your GP or podiatrist. The same goes if you have poor circulation. If you are pregnant, ask a health professional before treating.
Tell your podiatrist if your immune system is weakened, you have numbness in your feet (neuropathy), or your skin heals slowly. Freezing is not a simple choice for people with these conditions or with cold intolerance, so talk it through first.
For children, freezing can be painful and cause blisters, and it often needs repeating. That limits its use. Your podiatrist or GP can suggest other options for children, such as monochloroacetic acid for verrucae.
What happens?
Salicylic acid
You usually do this yourself at home. Remove the dead skin first with an emery board or pumice stone. Soaking your foot in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes beforehand may help. Then apply the acid every day.
Covering the wart with a waterproof plaster or duct tape afterwards may make it work better. Pharmacy products usually contain about 17 per cent salicylic acid. For deep or clustered verrucae on the sole, your podiatrist may use a stronger paint (up to 50 per cent) and trim the wart with a single-use file to help it work.
Keep going for at least three months, and often longer if the wart has only shrunk. Ask your podiatrist or pharmacist to show you how to apply it at the first visit.
Freezing (cryotherapy)
Your podiatrist applies liquid nitrogen to the wart, freezing it until a small ring of frozen skin forms around its base. This usually takes a few seconds. The freezing may be repeated a few times in one visit. A blister forms, which lifts the wart away from the healthy skin.
Visits are usually repeated every two to three weeks until the wart clears. Guidance suggests up to 10 treatments. Your podiatrist adjusts how firmly they freeze and how often, based on where the wart is, its size and you.
Other treatments
Your podiatrist may suggest the newer options above if the usual ones haven't worked. How these are done depends on the treatment.
How well does it work?
Honestly, results vary a lot. Even the best treatments cure at most about 50 to 70 per cent of warts at three months, and about 30 per cent of warts go away on their own in that time. Most warts clear without treatment within two years, though some take longer.
For common warts (the kind on hands), freezing worked best, clearing about 49 per cent, against 15 per cent for salicylic acid and 8 per cent for waiting. For verrucae on the sole, there was no clear difference between freezing, salicylic acid and waiting after 13 weeks. Salicylic acid does work better than no treatment overall.
Age matters. Children's verrucae cleared in about half of cases whatever the treatment. In teenagers and adults, only about 5 per cent cleared in the same time.
Risks and side effects
Freezing can be very painful, and it causes a blister. Scarring or changes in skin colour (darker or lighter patches) can follow. Your podiatrist will talk with you about whether you can cope with the pain.
Acid products can burn the skin, so follow the instructions on the pack carefully. If the area becomes painful, stop treating for about a week until it settles.
Treatments that destroy tissue, if used too aggressively, can permanently damage the nail growth area. This matters for warts near a toenail.
A lump on the sole can look like a verruca but be something else. Your podiatrist can check, which is why it's worth getting a diagnosis if you're unsure.
Afterwards
Expect treatment to take months, not weeks. Verrucae often come back, so don't be discouraged if yours does. If there's no improvement after a few months of steady treatment, go back to your podiatrist to review the plan.
A verruca that has lasted at least two years and hasn't responded to acid treatment or freezing should be referred on for specialist advice. So should many stubborn verrucae in someone with a weakened immune system.
Verrucae shed the virus, which can infect other spots on your sole or other people. Take sensible steps to limit spread, and ask your podiatrist or pharmacist what suits you.
When to see a podiatrist
Book an appointment if
Your verruca is spreading, or is making it hard to walk. You aren't sure it's a verruca. You have diabetes or poor circulation and are thinking about treating it. Your immune system is weakened and you have several stubborn warts. Or you've treated it steadily for a few months without improvement, or for two years without it clearing.
Seek prompt assessment if
A wart or verruca bleeds or changes appearance, keeps coming back, is very large or painful, is one of many, or is on your face or genitals. Don't wait to have any of these checked by your GP or podiatrist.
Frequently asked questions
Does duct tape work on verrucae?
Covering the wart with waterproof plaster or duct tape after applying salicylic acid may make the acid work better. Soaking the foot in warm water first may help too. It is not a replacement for the acid, and your podiatrist or pharmacist can show you how to use it.
Why does my verruca keep coming back?
Verrucae are caused by a virus, and none of the available treatments is guaranteed to get rid of it completely. Treatment removes the wart tissue, but the virus can remain in the skin around it. Verrucae on the sole are known for being stubborn. Your own immune system plays a big part in clearing them for good.
What should I ask my podiatrist?
Ask which treatment they recommend for your verruca and why. Ask how painful it will be, how long it may take, and whether waiting is a reasonable choice. If you are using a product at home, ask for written instructions and to be shown how to apply it.