Swift verruca therapy
Microwave treatment that works with your immune system rather than simply burning tissue away.
What is Swift, and does it work?
- Swift microwave verruca treatment is a technology developed in the UK, licensed for use in podiatry and dermatology for the general treatment of skin lesions.
- It delivers microwave energy through a probe applied to the skin.
- The success rate is around 80%, even for the most stubborn verrucae and warts.
- Patients often feel a sharp sensation, similar to an injection.
- Unlike most verruca treatments, side effects are minimal. The pain during treatment subsides quickly, and prolonged pain occurs only in extreme cases.
- Your podiatrist may slightly reduce the lesion with a blade before treatment, known as debriding.
- The area may feel sore afterwards in some cases, but it will not usually stop you doing day-to-day things.
Swift is not suitable for everyone. We do not recommend it for patients with diabetes, patients with implanted electronic devices or electrodes, or for use close to metallic objects such as metal foot implants or jewellery. We will check this with you at your assessment.
Why choose Swift?
The key to effectively treating a verruca is to trigger the body's own immune response, rather than simply destroying the infected tissue. Independent clinical research has shown that microwave treatment with Swift activates immune signalling pathways, alerting the immune system to the presence of the verruca and clearing the infected tissue.
What the course looks like
Clinical research suggests most verrucae resolve after three treatments.
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Week 1 — first treatment
Your podiatrist may lightly reduce the lesion with a blade, then apply three to five very short bursts of Swift, usually two seconds each. This quickly raises the temperature within the skin without breaking the surface, so there are no blisters, no padding and no scarring. Many patients feel a sharp sensation similar to an injection, but the pain subsides quickly.
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Week 4 — second treatment
Some patients see black spots appear beneath the surface of the skin after the first treatment, while the lesion stays the same size. That is expected: Swift works by reducing depth rather than width. Patients report a similar sensation to the first treatment.
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Week 8 — third treatment
This is usually the last treatment appointment, although your podiatrist will advise based on your individual condition. Of the patients who go on to resolve, 93% do so after this final treatment.
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Week 20 — review
We leave a gap of around twelve weeks for the body to heal and cycle through the immune response. By this stage you should feel little to no pain, and normal skin should be returning where the verruca was.
