A verruca is a wart on the sole of the foot, caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). It looks like a small, flat, rough patch of hard skin, often with tiny black dots in the middle, and the skin’s natural lines bend around it rather than running through it. Verrucas are harmless, usually go on their own eventually, and are treated because they hurt, spread or will not shift.
Key facts
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What it is | A wart on the sole of the foot, caused by HPV |
| What it looks like | Rough patch, 2 to 10 mm, often with tiny black dots |
| Does it hurt? | Often, like standing on a small stone, especially on the heel or ball of the foot |
| Will it go on its own? | Usually, but it can take months or years |
| Who treats it | A podiatrist; most GP practices no longer treat verrucas |
What does a verruca look like?
- A rough, slightly raised patch of skin on the sole, heel or underside of the toes, usually between two and ten millimetres across.
- A paler or yellowish centre that can look like a small cauliflower when you look closely.
- Tiny black or dark red dots in the centre. These are small blood vessels that have grown into the verruca. Not every verruca shows them, especially early on, but when they are there the diagnosis is clear.
- The skin lines go around it. Look at the fine lines on the sole of your foot, like a fingerprint. On a corn or hard skin they run straight across; on a verruca they stop at the edge and detour around.
- A ring of harder skin often forms around it, because the foot builds up callus over the pressure point.
Verrucas can come singly or in clusters. A group of small ones packed together is called a mosaic verruca and is harder to treat than a single one. Our guide to the stages of a verruca shows how the appearance changes from first appearance to resolution.
Why does a verruca hurt?
A wart on the hand sticks out. A verruca on the sole is walked on, so it is pressed inwards and grows into the foot rather than away from it. That is why it can feel like standing on a small stone; the NHS compares it to “standing on a needle”. The pain is worst on weight-bearing areas such as the ball of the foot and the heel; a verruca on the arch or between the toes may not hurt at all.
A useful test: a verruca usually hurts more when you squeeze it from the sides than when you press straight down on it. A corn is the reverse.
What causes a verruca?
The human papillomavirus, a very common family of viruses with more than a hundred types. The types that cause verrucas infect only the top layer of skin and are not the same types linked to cervical cancer. The virus gets into the skin through a tiny cut, crack or softened area, which is why wet feet in changing rooms and around pools are the classic route. It then makes the skin cells multiply, producing the lump.
It can take weeks or months after contact for a verruca to appear, so you will rarely know where you caught it.
How did I catch it?
Verrucas spread by contact with skin or surfaces carrying the virus: swimming-pool surrounds, communal showers, changing-room floors, shared towels and socks, and direct contact with someone else’s verruca. Wet or damaged skin picks it up more easily. You can also spread it to other parts of your own foot by picking at it. Our guide to whether verrucas are contagious covers how to stop it spreading at home and at the pool.
Why some people get them and others sharing the same pool do not comes down to the immune system. Children get verrucas most, because they have not met the virus before; adults who have had them in the past usually have some immunity, which is why a verruca at forty is less common and often slower to clear.
Is it a verruca, a corn or something else?
The three things most often confused on the sole:
| Verruca | Corn | Callus (hard skin) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cause | Virus | Pressure or friction | Pressure or friction |
| Black dots | Often | Never | Never |
| Skin lines | Go around it | Run across it | Run across it |
| Hurts most when | Squeezed from the sides | Pressed straight down | Rarely painful |
| Where | Anywhere on the sole | Over a bony point | Broad weight-bearing area |
Our verruca or corn guide goes through this in more detail. Rarely, a lump on the sole is something else, such as a plantar fibroma or, very rarely, a skin cancer; see a podiatrist or GP about any lump that bleeds, grows quickly, changes colour or does not look like the description above.
Will a verruca go away on its own?
Usually, yes. Most verrucas clear without treatment as the immune system recognises the virus, but this can take months or, as the NHS says, “even years”. In children about half clear within a year; in adults it is slower and less predictable. Many people choose to treat because waiting is painful, because the verruca is spreading, or because it is stopping them swimming.
When to see a podiatrist
See a podiatrist (foot specialist) or your GP if:
- The verruca is painful enough to change how you walk.
- It is spreading or multiplying.
- Home treatment has not worked after about twelve weeks.
- You have diabetes, poor circulation or a weakened immune system, in which case do not use home treatments without advice.
- It bleeds, grows quickly or changes appearance.
- You are not sure it is a verruca.
Most GP practices in the UK no longer treat verrucas, because they are harmless and the NHS treats them as a low priority. A podiatrist can confirm the diagnosis in seconds and offers the treatments a pharmacy cannot. Our guide to verruca treatment on the NHS explains what to expect from your GP, and the treatment guide compares every option.
How to find a podiatrist
Verrucatreatment.co.uk lists 2,859 podiatry and chiropody clinics across 713 UK towns and cities, with their published prices where they have them (checked October 2026). Look for “HCPC” on a listing: podiatrists and chiropodists in the UK must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, and you can check any name on the HCPC register.
Can you get verrucas on your hands?
Not strictly. The same family of viruses causes warts on the hands and verrucas on the feet, and a wart on a hand is called a common wart or verruca vulgaris, which is the clinical name rather than a different condition. The difference is where it grows: on the sole, the weight of the body pushes the wart inwards, flattens it and builds hard skin over it, which is why verrucas look flatter, show black dots and hurt when squeezed, while hand warts stand proud of the skin. You can spread the virus from your foot to your hand by picking at a verruca, so treat both and do not share nail files or towels between them.
What is verruca vulgaris?
Verruca vulgaris is the medical name for a common wart, the raised, rough-surfaced wart found on hands, knees and elbows. A verruca on the sole of the foot is a verruca plantaris, or plantar wart. Both are caused by strains of the human papillomavirus, both are harmless, and both clear on their own in time; the names only describe where they are.
Sources
- NHS: Warts and verrucas
- Royal College of Podiatry: Verrucae
- Health and Care Professions Council: check the register