In the summer time there is more focus on our feet being pink and pretty. Pedicures can help soften hard skin but what to do about that verruca you’ve had for a while now? Especially if it’s starting to hurt?

Verrucas – also known as plantar warts – are found on the soles of the feet. Our weight pushes the wart inwards and, as it grows bigger, that pressure can cause discomfort. It may be there for some weeks or even months before we realise we have one.

Verrucas are caused by a virus and are often slow growing. They are contagious – the virus enters through tiny cuts and, as we all know, swimming pools are often where we and our children pick them up.

They are usually round, may have a white cauliflower appearance, with a black dot in the middle which is a blood vessel. If you’re unsure, squeeze the area – if it feels tender, you most likely have a verruca.

Provided your immune system is healthy, they will eventually resolve but verrucas in adults can be very stubborn, lasting years rather than months. So how do you sort them out?

One method is to gently rub away skin around the verucca and then use a plaster. This is to encourage your immune system to heal the verruca naturally but it’s only likely to work if your verruca is small.

An alternative way is by applying solutions bought over the counter at pharmacies which attempt to kill the virus. There are usually two types: corrosive preparations containing salicylic acid or silver nitrate. More recently the freezing gel has also become available. This can be distressing for children, who may find it painful and scary.

As Girls Around Town wellbeing guru Fiona explained on the show last weekend, it was the problems caused by this distress that encouraged her to find a more natural solution – a fluid called Thuja tincture.

Derived from Thuja occidentalis, a type of cedar tree native to North America, the preparation is made from the natural oils of the tree and was used by North American tribes for hundreds of years for medicinal purposes.

Like the other preparations, Thuja is only used topically – that is on the skin. Fiona’s verruca kit is natural, effective and gentler than the chemical alternatives – and it costs the same.

To order a kit, priced £8 and containing full instructions for use as well as the tincture, contact Fiona on www.fionatheokritoff.co.uk and say goodbye to the family’s verrucas!

NB : If you have verrucas and a condition such as diabetes which means your immune system is compromised or if you are pregnant, seek advice from your doctor or podiatrist before self treatment.