If your memories of visiting a swimming pool as a youngster involve white rubber socks, you may have dealt with a few verrucas in your swimming career.
The annoying – and often painful – skin growths spread through contaminated areas and skin contact, so it's no surprise swimming pools can function as verruca hotspots.
As we often pad about barefoot in communal areas while training at the pool, it's a relief to know there are a number of affordable, at-home verruca treatments available to buy.
We've included gels, freeze treatments and plasters in our round up of verruca treatments so you can find a solution that works best for you and your family. There are some suitable for younger children, too. We've chosen the treatments through in-depth research and reviews.
It's worth noting, as a preventative, you can pop on a pair of sliders while walking around changing areas. They're easy to carry, and are a lot more fetching than those famous white socks!
Best verruca treatments for 2024
Scholl Verruca Treatment Pen
This verruca treatment pen from Scholl aims to offer an easy and faff-free solution. Instructions are straightforward, just click the pen, and apply the gel - just one drop - to the infected area. The gel is blue to help you target the specific area. It's recommended you leave the gel to dry for just 10 to 15 minutes, so it's one to consider if you're after a quick treatment.
It's suitable for kids aged four and up, so if you've got a child who regularly attends swimming lessons, this pen could be a handy addition to your bathroom cabinet.
Bazuka Extra Strength
A big, and memorable, name in the world of verruca treatments, Bazuka has a few options on offer. This extra-strength gel aims to create a waterproof barrier over the verruca to limit the spread of infection. So if you're sick of plasters and coverings, it could be a useful alternative.
It's a bit more time intensive, as it involves applying the gel to the verruca and peeling it off the following evening once it's dried. You're then supposed to repeat these steps over time, and use the emery board, which is included, once a week.
It's not suitable for children under the age of two and it claims to work for warts, too.
Bazuka Treatment Gel
A very similar product in terms of purpose and application process, but this gel doesn't contain as much of the active ingredient often found in verruca treatments, salicylic acid. Another difference is that it's designed for use on corns and calluses, so you may find more uses for this one.
Scholl Seal and Heal Verruca Removal Gel
This is a similar style of treatment gel from Scholl. It aims to create a water-resistant barrier so you can crack on plaster-free. You can apply this one twice daily until the verruca is removed and there's no emery board involved. It's claimed it could take up to 12 weeks, and it's only suitable for those over the age of 12.
Wartner Wart and Verruca Cyro Freeze
If you're after a one-off verruca treatment to fit into a hectic week of work, training and socialising, this could be one to consider. It's designed to replicate the freezing treatment you can receive from a doctor. The pen should click and form a white ice tablet, which you're supposed to hold against your verruca for a number of seconds, depending on the thickness of the skin.
So it should be pretty rapid in terms of overall treatment time. If your verruca is still there after two weeks you can give it another go.
Carnation Verruca Caps
- Buy now from Express Chemist
If you'd rather not deal with the mess of gels and creams, there are also some plaster options you can try. This pack includes four medicated plasters containing salicylic acid. It's recommended you apply a plaster over the verruca and change the plaster every second day for eight days. There's a protective plaster you can apply at the end of the process to help prevent infection.
This verruca treatment should help relieve pressure as well as removing the verruca itself. As a bonus, there's no drying time unlike some of the gel treatments, so it could work well if you're often dashing about, in a hurry.
If you have any health concerns at all, or are worried about injuries, always consult a doctor, pharmacist or chartered physiotherapist.