Swift Verruca Treatment
Treatment for Verruca & Warts on your hands or feet
We’re delighted to introduce our latest piece of cutting-edge technology at East Kent Podiatry, Swift Microwave Therapy.
We’re often asked what’s the best treatment for verruca. A question that is usually accompanied by a handful of ineffective old wives’ tales! With more than a decade of treating verruca, and I can honestly say Swift is the most successful treatment I have ever used.
If you have a stubborn verruca, and you’ve tried just about everything with no improvement, please find out more about our Swift treatments below.
Book a Swift Assessment Appointment
What is Swift?
Swift is a cutting-edge technology for the treatment of verrucae. It uses microwave energy to treat the virus in a very precise and controlled way. Treatment takes up to 10 seconds per verruca. The microwave energy is delivered directly to the verruca at a predetermined depth. This means that, unlike other treatments, there is no damage to the surrounding healthy tissue. It heats the skin by about 4 degrees, ‘heat shocking’ the targeted skin cells. By activating our heat shock receptor proteins, the cells are triggered into recognising and fighting the virus.
In contrast to alternative treatments, Swift doesn’t require any anaesthetic or dressings. You can just carry on your normal activities straight away.
What happens at the appointment?
If you think you have a verruca, we’d first need to see you for an verruca assessment appointment – please click here to make an appointment.
This an opportunity for us to check it is actually a verruca and not some other dermatological condition, we can then discuss the available options and to make sure Swift is the best treatment for you. If you decide to go ahead with Swift, we can start it during the same appointment.
With your consent, we’ll take some photos of your verruca(e) to start with. We do this so we can monitor the changes in your verruca(e) between each appointment. We then often debride (remove the hard skin) from the top of the verruca to make the surface flatter. Sometimes this can make the verruca bleed. This is normal and usually stops quite quickly.
We’ll treat each verruca with Swift for 2–5 seconds, between five and eight times. The dose delivered is tailored to each patient and each verruca. After treatment, we’ll book you in for two further appointments, one in four weeks, another in eight weeks. We can book review appointments at eight weeks and 14 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it hurt?
The treatment is uncomfortable. However, I’ve treated a six-year-old with no tears at all! People describe it as an intense, but very short, sting or heat. As an example, on a two-second dose, you’d only feel this sensation for a second, then it’s completely gone. So, you walk out of the clinical with no pain whatsoever. And, as every patient says, this moment of discomfort is well worth it to get rid of a verruca!
Will I need dressings?
As Swift doesn’t damage the skin, no dressings are required. In those patients where the verruca was sore before treatment, we may offer some padding to deflect any pressure and ease the discomfort. And in those that bleed after removing the hard surface skin, we may apply a small plaster, which you need to keep on for about 24 hours.
Will I need anaesthetic?
Absolutely not. The discomfort of an injection in the foot is much worse than the quick short sensation of Swift!
How long does it take?
The actual treatment is very quick but be prepared for a longer treatment plan. We recommend three treatments, spaced four weeks apart. This offers around an 80-83% success rate. Significantly higher than most treatments available. Some patients with larger or long-term verrucae, or those that have pre-existing medical issues, may need more treatments. It can take between three and four months after the last treatment to completely resolve the problem. Unfortunately as with all verruca treatments success rate vary from patient to patient.
| Treatment | Number of appointments | Dressings required | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crotherapy | 3-10 | Yes | 39% |
| Silver Nitrate | 5-12 | Yes | 43% |
| Salicyclic Acid | 10-12 | Yes | 53% |
| Faulkner’s Needling | 3 | Yes | 69% |
| Swift | 3 | No | 83% |
We offer a package of three treatments spaced at 3-5 week intervals and a follow up appointment 2 months after the last treatment. This has been shown to give the best results. Occasionally, further treatments may be required, particularly with long standing verrucae. These can be purchased separately if needed.
I have lots of verrucae, will you treat them all?
As the treatment is systemic (creates a response through the whole body), you only have to treat one verruca. However, we usually treat them all, at the same appointment, for no additional cost.
Is it expensive?
Swift is the latest technology, so the costs can be higher than more traditional treatments. We invested heavily in the equipment, each treatment requires a single-use computerised tip. However, if you compare the cost to topical treatments, it’s surprisingly more cost effective. For an example, take our chemical treatments, which costs £40 for each treatment, it needs to be applied every week, for up to 12 applications, so that’s £480 in total. And for that, you get a 50% success rate. Invasive surgical options under local anaesthetic cost £280, but you will have a wound for a few weeks that may be uncomfortable and restrict your activites after the procedure.
We charge Swift as a package of 3 treatments or as a pay-as-you-go option, to help spread the costs. We can also arrange FREE payment plan over/up to 10 months (subject to acceptance).
The package covers three treatments, plus a review 2 months after the last treatment. review appointments at £350. If you choose to pay-as-you-go it costs £140 per treatment, with all the review appointments included. For younger patients, this may be a better option as some children do not need all three treatments. Please check prices at the time of booking.
Can anyone have Swift?
Swift it suitable for most people. The only exceptions are those with pacemakers, metal work in their foot, or expectant mothers. There’s no evidence against using Swift during pregnancy, but we feel it’s best to hold off treatment while your immune system is busy caring for a growing human!
Although Swift can be used to treat all age groups, it isn’t for everyone. There are alternatives available. It’s also worth pointing out, that some people might not need all three treatments (usually children), and others need more than three. We’ll assess and discuss all of this at your first appointment.
Can I go to the gym after?
It’s not uncommon to feel a tingle where you’ve been treated for the rest of the day. In some rare cases, the area can feel a little bruised the next day, but it won’t stop you from doing your normal activities.
How quickly will I see a difference?
The short answer to this is everyone – and every verruca – is different. Timings depend on the size and depth of the verruca, how long you’ve had it, any pre-existing medical conditions and how high the dose we can deliver. Verruca which are very painful or have a lot of callus build up over them, can often demonstrate a difference after just one treatment. The verruca often becomes shallower before it reduces in diameter, which means, to the untrained eye, it might appear as if the treatment isn’t working. This is why we take regular photographs – to keep an eye on the depth and width of each verruca as it changes over time.
How do I book?
You need to book an assessment appointment so we can be sure it is a verruca / wart and not some other skin condition. We also check your suitable for SWIFT treatment and will advise you of all other relevant treatment options / alternatives so you can make an informed decision.
Please click the button to the right to book your assessment online, or call our team on 01843 598624.
We look forward to seeing you soon!