Corn and Verruca Differences – Are there any?

It is worrying if you find something odd growing on your feet. Even if the doctor says, “There’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a corn or verruca. What are the Corn Verruca differences? Treatment is easy…” Nice to know, but I don’t want to treat the wrong thing with the wrong stuff!

It’s very easy to tell the difference between a corn and a verruca:

• A verruca on the sole of your foot is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), but don’t worry, it’s just a wart that grows on your foot, normally the sole. Being a viral infection, they are contagious, so precautions need to be taken to prevent spreading verrucae to others (more information see below).
• Corns are different. They are not contagious. They are simply an accumulation of compacted dead skin cells, usually caused by your shoes rubbing your skin. Consequently, they are found where there is friction or pressure between your foot and shoe.

In appearance, the verruca is a small lump with black spots.  These spots are just blood capillaries that are visible through the wart. Verrucas tend to be flat because they are compressed when we stand and this can cause discomfort. Several verrucas can also clump together, which makes them look a bit like a cauliflower.

Verrucas are painful when pinched, but less so when pressed.

How can verrucas be treated?

There are several options for treating verrucas. The correct treatment plan will be decided by our podiatrist, after carrying out an assessment of your general health, as well as your foot health.

• Acid Treatments to treat verrucas: This is a weekly treatment, where the podiatrist will apply ointments or liquids which contain acids. These are stronger solutions than over-the-counter remedies and they work by gently destroying the area of affected skin. Following treatment, the foot needs to be kept dry for 3 to 5 days.
• Cryotherapy Treatments: The podiatrist will freeze the affected area with liquid nitrogen or nitrous oxide gas. This treatment is repeated every three weeks or so, for several months, until the area is clear. Some people find this treatment uncomfortable and it can cause blisters to form, although swimming is still possible, during treatment.
• Electrosurgery and Excisional Surgery: Both treatments require the use of a local anaesthetic. In electrosurgery, the podiatrist destroys the verruca using heat, whereas excisional surgery involves the use of a scalpel to remove the affected tissue.
• Laser Surgery for the treatment of verrucas: For larger infections, laser surgery can be employed to kill the virus.
• Needling for verruca treatment: This is performed under local anaesthetic. A hypodermic needle is used to repeatedly puncture the verruca, this triggers an immune response. The body creates antibiotics so the verruca’s will naturally deteriorate until disappearing completely

How can verrucas be prevented?

The chances are, that you caught your verruca from a communal changing area, such as the gym, or swimming pool. Minimise your chances of picking up the infection by wearing flip-flops in changing areas. Don’t share towels. If you have a verruca, keep it to yourself; wear a verruca sock!

So what is a corn on the sole of my foot?

Corns are completely different. They are not contagious, simply an accumulation of compacted dead skin cells, usually causes by your shoes rubbing your skin. Consequently, they are found where there is friction or pressure between your foot and shoe. They present variously as a roundish bump, a thick patch of hard skin, or even an area of flaky, dry skin.

Corns cause localised tenderness or pain, particularly when pressed, but less so when pinched.

How are corns treated on the sole of my foot?

Corns are treated with the simple process of shaving away the compacted area with a blade. Since the skin is already dead, the process is painless.