A verruca otherwise known as a plantar wart is a benign(non-cancerous) skin lesion(growth) found on the foot. It is an infection in the outer layer of the skin caused by the Human Papilloma virus (HPV). There are over 150 HPV virus strains but only a few cause veruccae. The virus causes your skin cells to overproduce causing the skin to thicken and harden.

 Verrucae are contagious and can be spread on the foot, a common cause is due to over-filing, especially when the verruca becomes uncomfortable due to the thickness of the lesion. Verrucae can spread to other parts of your body, do not pick at your verrucae as this can transfer the virus to your fingertips. Verrucae can be transferred from objects and floor areas where a person who has a verruca has previously touched, such as shoes socks and swimming pool floors.

You have come in contact with the virus that causes the verruca from somewhere an infected person has stepped or from an object worn by that person. You are more susceptible of contracting the virus if you have any injury to the skin, such as a scrape or cut. The virus thrives in moist environments, and it is common to contract the virus around a swimming pool, in changing rooms and in showers. It can take between 1 and 8 months from contracting the virus before the verruca visually appears on the skin, therefore it is impossible to determine where you have actually contracted the virus. 

Verrucae do not have roots, the little black dots are small microcapillary bleeds which have occurred in the lower layers of your skin. Caused by the overproduction of verruca skin cells that have put pressure on the lower layers of your skin. You may find that if you file down your it can sometimes bleed from one of these black dots. This is an active bleed and will stop shortly.

Yes a verruca can heal on its own usually when your body has detected the virus and produced the antibodies needed to combat it, however this can take weeks, months or years and it maybe that one day you realise it is no longer there, not knowing at what point it actually went. If unfortunately, you are a person with a weakened immune system or on immunosuppressants then it is very unlikely that your immune system will detect the virus.  

Veruccae are harmless and will quite happily remain on the skin for months, years and decades without being detected by your immune system and it may not be necessary to treat the verrucae. You may benefit from treatment if you find the verrucae uncomfortable especially if it is on a high-pressure point when walking or the thickness of the verrucar becomes uncomfortable. Others may choose to treat due to the feeling of embarrassment of having a verruca. By treating verrucae you are making a decision to prevent the spread of the virus to others especially to members of your household.

Yes treatment can help to cure your verruca but no treatments are guaranteed to be successful, some may be more effective than others and resolution can be dependent on the patient's immune system. Young children or adults who have not had their verruca for very long have the highest success rate compared to a person with an illness affecting their immune system or taking immunosuppressant drugs. Some verrucae are very stubborn and if a treatment is successful, this will not stop you acquiring a new verruca of a different strain. Most treatments work by causing irritation to the skin and initiating your immune system which will detect the virus and resolve the lesion.

Yes, over-the-counter treatments can work and remove verrucae. The most common agent is salicylic acid and this works by removing 'the dead' overproduced layers of skin and causing skin irritation to produce an immune response to detect the virus. There are varying strengths of salicylic acid, over-the-counter products usually contain a lower strength than is available to health care professionals. It is always recommended to try to treat first with over the counter products as this is the most cost effective solution. However this may not be possible in some situations. If during treatment you foot becomes sore it is recommended to stop treatment for a few days to allow the skin to heal before resuming treatment.

Yes, a verruca can be cut out by a qualified doctor, dermatologist, podiatric surgeon, or healthcare professional with the appropriate training.  Usually, a larger area of skin will need to be removed than you can visually see being occupied by the verruca. However, with this procedure comes the risk of infection as a wound is created. There is also the possibility of scar tissue that may become more problematic than the verruca itself, by causing hard skin that in a high pressure area could become uncomfortable.