Heat may help cure warts
Most people will suffer with verrucas (warts) on their feet at some stage in their life. For the majority, verrucas appear in their teenage years, stay for a about year, then they disappear by themselves. This is because the body’s immune system eventually catches up with the viral infection and destroys the infected cells so the wart disappears. At the same time, the immune system remembers the virus, by creating “memory cells” which means if you are confronted with the infection again, you are less likely to develop verrucas as the virus gets stopped long before it can take hold (what we call immunity).
However, things don’t always go to plan and verrucas can linger for many years often failing to respond to the plethora of home treatments available from the pharmacy. What do you do then? For many years, doctors would freeze warts using liquid nitrogen to “destroy” the infected tissue. Freezing verrucas (or “cryotherapy”) is painful, unpredictable and frequently causes blistering and prolonged pain.
Heat may be better than cold in treating verrucas
As a researcher, at the University of Southampton at the time, I became aware of research in the early 1990’s which reported that heat was more effective against the virus that causes warts. At that time, apart from “burning” out the wart using lasers or electricity, there wasn’t any way to do this safely. Burning out warts was also painful and risked scarring and infection.
In 2005, I met with a new start-up company who were developing the worlds first compact microwave device suitable for use on the skin. They claimed it could heat the skin, via a probe, to around 47 degrees centigrade. A temperature far more tolerable and less likely to cause damage to the patient!
In 2014, we began laboratory tests and afterwards a clinical trial on patients who had stubborn warts unresponsive to other treatments. Using microwaves, we were able to clear over three quarters of their verrucas with 4 treatments, delivered every month.
How do microwaves work?
We are all familiar with microwaves in our kitchens, but they are also in used in our mobile phones. Using specific frequencies, microwaves applied to the skin cause the water molecules in the tissue to vibrate rapidly, raising the temperature and producing heat. Through our laboratory research, we discovered the effect of this rapid heating. Microwaves applied to the infected cells of the verruca cause a rapid rise in temperature – about 10 degrees higher then body temperature.
The effect is to cause the cells to go into a type of heat shock. The temperature is not enough to kill cells but causes them to “reboot”. As they do, they produce chemical messengers which stimulate our immune system. As a result, the treated warts over a period of weeks undergo attack from the body's immune system which causes them to disappear.
How effective are microwave at curing warts?
To date, the microwave system (called Swift®) has undergone three main studies showing a clearance of between 76% and 82%. Most patients require up to four treatments, each treatment spaced a month apart.
What are the advantages of microwave for verruca?
There are a number of advantages over existing treatments:
Swift® is called exactly that because treatments only take a few seconds for each area being treated.
As the treatment does not break the skin, no dressings are required after treatment.
In between visits, there is no need to do anything to the verruca yourself.
Apart from a little discomfort whilst treating the verruca, the vast majority of patients have minimal or no post-treatment pain.
Is microwave treatment suitable for me?
There are few reasons why someone cannot have microwave treatment, but when you come for your appointment at the clinic, Michelle or Lisa will be able to discuss this with you and talk you through the process and all the options available.
If you have a verruca that hasn't responded to treatment please get in touch and we can discuss Swift® Microwave treatment. Call 0161 427 4937 or email info@mrpodiatrist.co.uk to book an appointment.
You can also read more about Swift® here
Many thanks to Professor Ivan Bristow for writing this blog!