The satisfaction of getting rid of a wart outweighs the price tag for Scholl (Scholl Freeze Wart and Verruca Remover)

Member Name: karlsm93

Product:	Scholl Freeze Wart and Verruca Remover
Date:	06/03/09 (909 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Practically got rid of my biggest wart in one application!

Disadvantages: Cost

I am a terrible worrier, and because of this, have bitten my nails, and even worse, my cuticles for years. It has become a habit that I don't even realise that I am doing until my husband shouts 'stop biting your nails'.

Anyhow, I am really trying hard to combat this at the moment, because I have just succesfully got rid of a couple of ugly warts on my fingers, that according to doctor are a result of me indirectly biting my nails.

On the advice of the doctor, I tried salicylic acid in order to burn them off my fingers, but after months of persistent use, I finally had to return to the doctor, who put me on a waiting list for cryotherapy, ie using liquid nitrogen to freeze it off.

As the months went on, I heard nothing from the clinic, but worst of all, a new wart appeared on my finger. It was this that made me part, very unwilling, with £11 in Boots on School Freeze Verruca and Wart remover treatment.

I knew from reviews that I had scanned on the internet that it seemed to be hit or miss, but I was willing to have a go, and I have to state that I was extremely impressed with the product.

This 80 ml/53g product contains 12 applications, and it not suitable during pregnany or breastfeeding, or people with diabetes or poor circulation. It also states quite worryingly that if not used correctly can cause burns and scarring oe healthy tissue.

The front of the product highlights the claim that this product removes the wart/verruca with 1 treatment *. However when you consult what the asteriks beside the claim means, it tells you that 'a single treatment may be sufficient howeverm for verrucas, additional applications may apply'. Now this did not concern me as much since it was a wart that I was trying to remove rather than a verruca.

It also claims that this product is suitable for children age 4+, though I don't think there would be too many children of that age willing to endure the sharp icy prolonged pain of this treatment, but I maybe have a very low pain threshold. The product is also supposed to be based on the freezing method used by doctors, so I didn't think I could go wrong by having a go.

The side of the box contains information about common warts and verrucas, and what they look like in comparison to each other.

On the reverse of the box, it claims the product is easy to use in 5 simple steps. Well there are 5 steps, however I found these lengthy and quite complicated, requiring several reads before I really understood what needed to be done. These steps explain the exact times needed to place the applicator in the liquid and then how long it needed to be held onto the wart or verruca, and recommend using a household timer to accurately time treatment for safety. I couldn't help feeling slightly apprehensive.

Advice on the box also suggests that a blister will form after application, and that within 10 -14 days, the wart or verruca would naturally fall off, leaving heathly skin. It also warns the user not to apply the product to the same mart or verruca any more than 4 times.

Anyhow since my husband volunteered to apply it, I had him read over the instructions himself. I decided to get him to apply it to the biggest wart, which was also the one that had been there the longest. He followed the instructions carefully, and used the wall clock to time the applicator being held in the liquid, and then to apply it to my wart for a minimum of 30 seconds, but no more than 40 minutes.

As the time ticked on, the pain got worse, and I was glad that my husband had been there holding the applicator, because I would have been very tempted to have taken it off long before the 30 seconds to ease the pain. It also stung madly for about half an hour after treatment, feeling like you had stuck your hand in the freezer for a while.

Anyhow, sure enough an ugly blister formed very quickly within a few days, and then it seemed to form a crust.

On the fourteenth day after application this crust loosened itself and fell off. Now, I cannot say that it cleared the wart entirely, but from the look of it, the majority of the wart had gone, leaving only the little roots behind. I was delighted. I felt that the £11 had been worth it just to get rid of at least one of the ugly warts that had been on my finger for so long. Some may think that is far too expensive for not completely removing it, but with the wart being there for so long, I just couldn't believe, it had worked so well.

Anyhow, my obvious plan was to try it out on some of my other smaller warts, but this was brought to an abrupt halt, since one week later I got a letter telling me that I was starting cryotherapy the following week.

The warts have now all gone, and my fingers are wart free, and hopefully will be for evermore!! yes it was the painful cryotherapy that got rid of all my warts, but even the nurse was impressed by how the product had practically got rid of the biggest one.

If like me, you have a wart, and you are waiting for cryotherapy or have tried other treatments, I would recommend that you try this. Yes, it is expensive, but the satisfaction of getting rid of a wart is so great that it is money well spent. As I previously said, I cannot comment on its effectiveness on verrucas. I am confident that if I had kept using this product, I could have removed more of my warts, only the crytherapy was cheaper and quicker.

Summary: Worked well for me before I got to the top of the cryotherapy waiting list!