What's The Difference Between A Corn And A Verruca?

What is a verruca?

Verrucae are essentially the same as warts but occur on your feet and are caused by a viral infection known as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). There are multiple HPV variants with a few strains that can result in verrucae. The appearance of a verruca can differ from one person to another due to the causal strain. More often than not, verrucae can develop hard skin overlying the lesion making them tender when walking.

 

Corn vs verrucae 

Although a corn and verrucae may look alike to the naked eye, their causes are very different and can be distinguished with a simple test. Corns are quite sore when direct pressure is applied due to them arising from increased biomechanical forces or frictional stresses being applied to individual areas like toe joints.

Verrucae on the other hand are a viral infection which invades the skin, direct pressure may not be sore at all however when pinched they can result in a great deal of discomfort. The look of a verruca may have a few different colours to it like brown spots in the centre. These spots are due to small blockages in superficial capillary blood vessels.

How did I get a verruca? 

It is thought that micro-trauma to the superficial layers of the skin (epidermis) allows the virus to pass into the skin itself. The Human Papillomavirus may survive on your skin for months to years and can assist your immune system. The skin barrier protects you against troublesome microbes that may cause you harm. Ordinarily bacteria, viruses and fungal spores live quite happily on your skin and can kill off more harmful pathogens. But sometimes a lowering of the immune system (due to flu, diet or stress) or excess sweating coupled with micro-trauma may allow the virus to thrive.

 

Why are they so difficult to treat?

The virus itself is very clever, once it has invaded the skin it can become undetectable by the body’s immune system, allowing it to thrive. The HPV strains that cause plantar warts aren't very contagious and so aren’t easily transmitted by direct contact from one person to another. The virus does however thrive in moist, warm environments.

Who can be affected?

Anyone can develop verrucae but it is more likely to affect younger people like children and teenagers, with the peak incidence around the ages of 12-16. Individuals with weakened immune systems, specific ethnicity, environmental exposure, or people who are very active, have a history of verrucae, nutritional/dietary requirements alongside trauma or injury to the skin are more susceptible to infection.

Can they cause any problems?

Verrucae are benign lesions meaning they are not cancerous. They are harmless and can resolve by themselves if left, however if they have been present for a year or more it is unlikely they will resolve by themselves and treatment may be required, especially if uncomfortable and affecting daily life.

  

Oral Zinc tablets 

There is some research which has shown that Zinc tablets can be helpful in treating verrucae. Zinc is an important element in the normal function of the immune system. It can be found in foods such as meat and eggs. A deficiency can adversely affect the body’s immunity and can allow viral infections like HPV to flourish making the individual more susceptible to verrucae. 

 

Treatment options and effectiveness

There are a number of treatments that are available for the treatment of verrucae with varied efficacy. Over the counter products, purchased from the chemist like Bazooka can help to treat verrucae when they are in their infancy but the longer the lesion has been there for the more aggressive the treatment generally becomes. Bazooka is a salicylic acid treatment with differing concentrations that can be helpful for younger people or to soften the verruca. Stronger concentrations (60%) are available as an administered therapy after debridement by your Podiatrist and is deemed to be the lowest effective treatment but a good starting point for children.

Verrutop nitrizinc complex is a good option for slightly more stubborn small verrucae, the zinc acid in the complex causes a loss of vitality in the verruca tissue, allowing the verruca to detach from the skin.

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Needling is a good option for the management of more chronic verrucae, a fine needle punctures the viral lesion under local anaesthetic to breakdown the verruca tissue and instigate an immune response from the body.

Swift Microwave treatment is the gold standard for verruca therapy – with a resolution rate of around 75% after 3 treatments. A highly focussed microwave dose of 10W is delivered directly to the site of the verruca elevating tissue temperature and encouraging a cellular immune response. The damaged tissue undergoes repair and is replaced by newer skin cells deep in the skin layers. Although the treatment is a little sore at the time, the pain resolves instantly after the treatment finishes. 

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