Customer scenario 2
Customer scenario 2 – A concerned parent
A concerned mother comes into the pharmacy with her 6-year-old son, Asher. She asks if you can look at her son’s foot, so you take them into the consultation room. You identify the lesion on the sole of his foot as a verruca. Using your WWHAM questions, the parent explains that her son has never had a verruca before but her other two children have. She has used salicylic acid for treating them but remembers that the process was quite long and that they complained when she needed to file down the verruca. She asks whether there are any alternatives to salicylic acid that do not require the skin to be filed down first that she can try instead. She tells you that Asher goes to swimming classes, so she thinks he must have caught it from there.
Which of the following would you recommend to treat Asher?
with a waterproof
plaster
Cover the verruca with
a waterproof plaster TRY AGAIN
Even though this is good additional advice to give Asher for when he attends his swimming class, the verruca can also be treated over the counter by either a chemical or physical means
he sees his GP
Recommend he sees his GP TRY AGAIN
He is 6 years old, so is old enough to be treated over the counter. Referral is not necessary in this situation, but always check with the pharmacist if you are unsure
EndWarts PEN
Recommend EndWarts PEN CORRECT
Formic acid is an alternative to salicylic acid for treating verrucas. The EndWarts PEN provides a precise application of a colourless solution, which can be used on a once-weekly basis. The treatment takes only a few seconds and there is no need to file down the lesion between applications. Talk the mother through how to apply the product correctly, and advise her that it takes an average 5-15 treatments to destroy the verruca. However, warts on children and recently discovered warts are normally easier to remove. EndWarts FREEZE is another suitable option
EndWarts FREEZE
Recommend EndWarts FREEZE CORRECT
EndWarts FREEZE is a quick problem solver, normally requiring only one treatment. Asher’s mum may be concerned that it will be painful. Using EndWarts FREEZE will cause a tingling feeling and the skin may feel sore or irritated for a few hours. However, pain sensitivity is difficult to measure so if Asher’s mother knows her son to be very sensitive, EndWarts PEN is a suitable alternative
References
1. British Association of Dermatologists – Patient Information Leaflets – Plantar warts (June 2022). Available at: https://cdn.bad.org.uk/uploads/2021/12/20153807/Plantar-warts-Update-Jun-2022-Lay-Review-Jun-2022-FINAL.pdf
2. NHS – Health A to Z – Warts and Verrucas (October 2020). Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/warts-and-verrucas/
3. Sterling JC. et al. British Journal of Dermatology. British Association of Dermatologists' guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts (October 2014)
4. Walczuk I. et al. Dermatologic Therapy. Efficacy and Safety of Three Cryotherapy Devices for Wart Treatment: A Randomized, Controlled, Investigator-Blinded, Comparative Study (December 2017)
5. Endwarts® FREEZE instructions for use
6. NICE CKS – Warts and verrucae (February 2020). Available at: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/warts-verrucae/
7. Endwarts® PEN instructions for use
All references last accessed July 2022