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Multiple Puncture Wart Treatment

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Icon not found Benefits of the multiple puncture wart treatment
Icon not found Treatment process
Icon not found Recovery
Icon not found Alternative treatments for plantar warts
Icon not found FAQs

Also known as dry needling for plantar warts, during the multiple puncture technique, your podiatrist uses thin syringe  needle to repeatedly puncture the wart. This is done under local anaesthetic so that the procedure is painless, and is thought to work by pushing the infected cells into the deeper layers of the skin, so that an immune response is triggered, the wart is detected, and the body gets to work on clearing the virus. 

The multiple puncture technique works because it is thought that the body has a tendency to overlook the top, superficial layer of the skin called the epidermis, so it doesn't take appropriate action on the wart. By pushing viral cells down below to the dermis, a response is triggered and the right antibodies are produced. As the body gets to work, the wart goes through a natural deterioration process before disappearing.

What Are The Benefits Of Multiple Puncture Wart Treatment?

Our patients select the multiple puncture technique because:

• It is completed under local anaesthetic, making it painless
  
• The procedure is completed simply in our clinic by our trusted and experienced podiatrists, no specialist referrals needed
  
• There is no need to take any additional time off work or school following the treatment
  
• Often only one session is required, unlike cryotherapy or topical acid applications which require multiple visits and many span several weeks
  
• We have good success rates with the multiple puncture technique, with clinical studies showing a complete clearance rate of between 70% - 85%.^,
  
• Your podiatrist monitors your progress to help you get the best outcomes for your warts
  

Multiple Puncture Wart Treatment Process

Your appointment will start with painlessly debriding the dead skin (callus) overlying yourplantar wart, so we can get directly to the wart tissue. We’ll then administer local anaesthetic to your foot to completely numb the area containing the wart, making the procedure painless. We then insert a thin, sterile and hypodermic needle into the wart tissue repeatedly. You may feel some pressure, but no pain. At the end of the needling, the wart tissue may appear ‘broken up’, and you’ll experience some bleeding. Bleeding in this case is a great sign - it is supporting your immune system in responding to the wart, and aids in the recruitment of antibodies to get to work in destroying the wart.

Next, we’ll apply a dressing to the area paired with an offloading pad so you can continue to walk on your foot comfortably as the anaesthetic wears off. You may be given some aftercare instructions for the first 48 hours after your procedure, depending on the size and location of your wart. 

Recovery

Once the anaesthetic wears off after a few hours, there may be some slight discomfort for the first couple of days and pain relief in the form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) may be taken. The site of the procedure may be checked by your podiatrist approximately two weeks following the procedure to check healing and debride any hard skin over the wart that may have developed and be causing you discomfort when walking.

What Alternative Treatments Are There For Plantar Warts?

When you come into our clinics with a plantar wart, you can be sure that your podiatrist will take the time to explain all of our range of treatment options, the benefits of each, and which may be most suitable for you based on your circumstances. We also offer:

• SWIFT microwave therapy: SWIFT is an automated microwave therapy that rapidly and repeatedly heats the infected wart tissue to up to 45ºC to get deep into the wart and destroy it.
  
• Curettage wart removal: here, a tool called a curette is used to ‘scoop’ out the wart under local anaesthetic, removing the wart in one appointment.
  
• Cryotherapy: cryotherapy involves destroying a wart through freezing it, typically with liquid nitrogen.
  
• Topical agents: we also have a selection of topical agents (specified acids) that can be applied to the surface of the wart after we remove the hard outer layer of the wart tissue using a scalpel, exposing the wart tissue beneath. This is effective for those with many small, superficial warts that have only been present for a short time.
  

FAQs

Is multiple puncture wart treatment safe?

Yes, we take every precaution when it comes to your safety throughout the procedure. This is a common procedure in our clinic, and as such, we’re very good at it!

Does multiple puncture wart treatment hurt?

The only thing you’ll feel during the procedure is the momentary pinch of the local anaesthetic being injected into your foot. From there, the procedure is completely pain-free.

Can warts return after treatment?

Warts can appear on the foot again following any wart treatment, and at any time. This is because once infected with the HPV virus that causes warts, it remains inside your body and may present as warts at different times in your life. There is no treatment available by anyone on the market that can prevent warts altogether. Instead, treatment focuses on removing the painful or uncomfortable warts in question that are currently having a negative impact on your quality of life, which it does successfully.