Wart and Verruca Removal in Portlaoise

What are warts and verrucas?

Warts are small, rough lumps on the skin caused by a virus (the human papillomavirus, HPV). Verrucas are warts on the soles of the feet. They are often flatter, may have tiny black dots in them and can feel like standing on a small stone. The virus spreads by skin contact and through wet shared floors such as pool sides and changing rooms.

Warts are harmless and usually clear on their own, but that can take months or years. People choose treatment when a wart is painful, spreading, in an awkward place or simply bothering them.

Should I try a cream first?

The HSE recommends salicylic acid creams, gels and plasters from the pharmacy as the first step. You soak and file the wart, then apply the treatment every day for up to 12 weeks. It works for many people but it is slow, it can irritate the skin and it must never be used on the face. Freezing is an option if you have tried that without success, if you would rather have it treated in the pharmacy, or if the pharmacist thinks it suits the wart better.

We are honest about the evidence: in a large UK and Irish trial, freezing verrucas on the soles of the feet was no more effective than daily salicylic acid, and published success rates for freezing vary widely. Warts on the hands tend to respond better than verrucas. Several sessions are usually needed and some warts do not respond at all.

How cryotherapy with the CryoPen works

Cryotherapy means freezing. We use the CryoPen, a handheld device made by H&O Equipments in Belgium, which delivers a fine jet of nitrous oxide onto the wart and cools the tissue to about minus 89 degrees Celsius. That is much colder than the freeze sprays sold over the counter, and the small applicator lets the pharmacist target the wart rather than the healthy skin around it.

Each freeze lasts seconds: 5 to 10 seconds for a small flat wart, up to about 45 seconds for a thick verruca on the sole, using a freeze, thaw and freeze again technique. The frozen tissue breaks down over the following days, scabs and falls away as new skin grows underneath. We review the area 2 to 4 weeks later and advise whether another session is needed. We usually do not continue beyond about six sessions or three months, because further freezing is unlikely to help after that.

Prices

You pay €20 by card when you book and €30 in the pharmacy on the day, so a session never costs more than €50. Follow-up sessions are booked the same way. Free reschedule or cancellation up to 24 hours before; inside 24 hours, or if you do not attend, the booking fee is kept. All fees are also displayed in the pharmacy.

Before your appointment

• For three evenings before you come, soak the wart or verruca in warm water for a few minutes and gently file the hard skin with an emery board or pumice. Keep that file for the wart only.
• Stop any over the counter wart treatment 48 hours before.
• Wear clothing and footwear that lets us reach the wart easily.
• Bring a note of the medicines you take.

When freezing is not suitable: see your GP instead

Cryotherapy is not for everyone. Please see your GP rather than booking if:

• You have diabetes with poor circulation or reduced feeling in your feet or hands
• 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 your face, lips, eyelids or genital area, or near the base of a nail
• The lump is dark, changing colour, bleeding or growing quickly, or you are not sure it is a wart
• The appointment is for someone under 16

We do not freeze moles or any unexplained skin lesion. Before any treatment the pharmacist looks at the lesion and asks about your health. If she is not satisfied it is a wart or verruca, or that freezing is suitable for you, you are referred to your GP and not charged for treatment. The service is for people aged 16 and over, with a parent or guardian present for 16 and 17 year olds.

What happens on the day

• Assessment and consent. The pharmacist examines the wart, goes through your answers and the possible side effects, and you sign a consent form.
• The freeze. You feel cold and pressure, then a stinging or burning sensation for a few seconds that eases over a few minutes. No anaesthetic is used.
• Aftercare. You get written aftercare advice and a review date 2 to 4 weeks away.

A photograph of the lesion may be taken for your pharmacy record so progress can be compared at the review. It is stored securely with your record, is never used for marketing and is deleted in line with our retention policy. You can decline the photograph and still be treated.

Who will see you

What to expect afterwards, and the risks

The treated area reacts like a small burn. Expect redness and swelling for a day or two. A blister may form within 24 hours, and it may fill with blood, which is harmless. A scab forms within a few days and usually separates within one to three weeks. The full effect of a freeze can take about four weeks to show.

Possible side effects include pain, blistering, infection, a lighter or darker mark at the site which can be permanent (more likely in darker skin), a small scar, temporary numbness if a nerve near the surface is frozen, nail changes if the wart is close to a nail, and the wart coming back. The pharmacist goes through these with you before you consent.

Aftercare

• Keep the area dry for 24 hours, then wash gently and pat dry.
• Do not burst a blister and leave the scab to fall off by itself.
• A little petroleum jelly and a plaster help if the area rubs. Paracetamol can be taken for soreness.
• Avoid swimming until the area has scabbed over, and cover the wart with a plaster when swimming after that.
• Change socks daily, wear flip flops in shared showers and do not share towels or shoes.
• Contact your GP if the area becomes increasingly red, swollen or painful after 48 hours, if pus appears, or if you feel unwell.

Find us

Laois Pharmacy, 1 Dunamaise House, Lyster Square, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, R32 HD72. Appointments Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Phone 057 866 1999 or WhatsApp 085 840 7548. We see patients from Portlaoise and across County Laois, including Mountmellick, Portarlington, Abbeyleix, Stradbally, Mountrath and Monasterevin, and from Athy, Tullamore and Carlow.