Verruca treatment in Ireland: salicylic acid, freezing, or leave it alone?

What is a verruca?

A verruca is a wart on the foot, usually on the sole. The HSE describes warts and verrucas as small lumps on the skin caused by a virus, which can be passed from person to person, especially among children.

The HSE says verrucas are usually flat, with tiny black dots under hard skin, and are more likely to be painful than other warts.

Option one: leave it alone

Doing nothing is a real option. The HSE says warts and verrucas usually go away on their own, although this can take months or even years. Other sources agree:

• Patient.info says about two thirds of warts go away without treatment within two years.
• British dermatology guidelines report that, in primary schoolchildren, about half of warts clear within one year and about two thirds within two years.
• The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) says up to 65% of viral warts, including verrucas, clear by themselves, and advises leaving warts alone if they cause no problems.

A Cochrane review adds that waiting makes most sense for recent warts causing little bother. Warts that have lasted many months to a year are probably less likely to clear on their own.

The HSE also suggests some everyday habits if you have a verruca:

• change your socks every day
• cover warts and verrucas with a plaster when swimming
• do not share towels, face cloths, socks or shoes
• do not walk barefoot in shared or public places

Option two: salicylic acid from the pharmacy

Salicylic acid is a common over the counter verruca treatment. It comes as creams, plasters and sprays, and the HSE says it works by dissolving the wart and the dead skin around it.

It needs patience. The HSE says it can take up to three months to work, and the HPRA product information for one salicylic and lactic acid paint notes that stubborn warts can take up to 12 weeks to go.

When using it, Patient.info and the BAD suggest you:

• soak the verruca in water for five to ten minutes
• gently rub away dead skin with an emery board or pumice stone
• apply the treatment once a day, usually at bedtime
• keep going every day for about three months

Salicylic acid can irritate the skin, does not always work and should not be used on the face. People with diabetes or poor circulation should only use it on a doctor’s advice. The same product information also says not to use that paint on moles, birthmarks, hairy warts or skin folds.

Option three: freezing (cryotherapy)

Cryotherapy means freezing the wart. You can buy home freezing kits, but Patient.info says they cannot get as cold as liquid nitrogen and are probably less effective, although study results are not clear.

Freezing done by a health professional is not a one visit fix:

• the BAD says it should ideally be repeated every three to four weeks, several freezes may be needed and it does not always work
• the BAD also says it is painful, can cause blisters and is not usually recommended for children
• Patient.info says it can need up to four to six sessions, sometimes more, and is not suitable for younger children or people with poor circulation

The HSE adds that if freezing does not work, a GP may prescribe creams or other treatments.

Salicylic acid or freezing: what the research says

One trial is especially relevant for Irish readers. Called EVerT and published in the BMJ in 2011, it ran in podiatry services and primary care in England, Scotland and Ireland, comparing 50% salicylic acid with freezing for verrucas.

Six months on, 31% of people using salicylic acid and 34% of those who had freezing said their verruca had cleared. The researchers concluded the two were equally effective.

A 2012 Cochrane review pooled the evidence and found no significant difference between freezing and salicylic acid. The evidence for salicylic acid was more consistent but showed only a modest effect, smaller on the feet than on the hands, and no trial showed freezing to be more effective than placebo for verrucas alone.

Verruca freezing at Laois Pharmacy

If you are 16 or over and would like to try freezing, we offer verruca treatment in Portlaoise from Monday 9 November 2026, using a CryoPen. The manufacturer says the device uses nitrous oxide under high pressure and reaches minus 89°C in the tissue.

Most warts need more than one session, usually two to four weeks apart, and treatment usually stops after about six sessions or three months. Results vary, and hand warts tend to respond better than verrucas.

Freezing at the pharmacy is not suitable if:

• you have diabetes with poor circulation or reduced feeling in your hands or feet
• you have poor circulation, Raynaud’s, cryoglobulinaemia, cold urticaria or another condition made worse by cold
• you have a weakened immune system or take medicines that suppress it
• you are pregnant or breastfeeding
• the lump is on the face, lips, eyelids, genital area or near the base of a nail
• the lump is dark, changing colour, bleeding, growing quickly or not clearly a wart
• you are under 16

If any of these apply, talk to your GP about other options.

From Monday 9 November we also offer ear wax removal by micro-suction at the same pharmacy on Lyster Square.

When to see your GP

The HSE advises seeing your GP if:

• you are worried about a growth on your skin
• a wart keeps coming back
• it is large or painful
• it bleeds, gets bigger or changes colour
• it is on your face or genitals

Genital warts can be treated by a GP or at a sexual health (STI or GUM) service. If you have diabetes or poor circulation, speak to your GP before using salicylic acid or freezing.

Talk to your GP too if your immune system is weakened, as UK pharmacy guidance says these patients should be referred to a dermatologist. Under 16s should also start with their GP.

Common questions

Sources: HSE (2026), Patient.info (2024), HPRA (2025), H&O Equipments (2022), British Association of Dermatologists (2022), The Pharmaceutical Journal (2015), Sterling et al., British Journal of Dermatology (2014), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2012), Cockayne et al., BMJ (2011)