Falknor's Needling is a technique used for the treatment of plantar warts (verrucas). Verrucas are warts that appear on the soles of the feet and are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). As the warts are confined to the epidermis (top layer of the skin) where there are no circulating immune cells, warts can evade a person’s immune system and persist – sometimes for months or years. Needling has gained attention for its effectiveness (approximately 70% of lesions will resolve within 6 months after one treatment), particularly in cases where other treatments have failed.

Falknor's technique involves using a hollow needle to repeatedly penetrate a wart, into the subcutaneous tissue. Needling causes extensive destruction of keratinocytes (a type of skin cell in the epidermis) and the release of high levels of viral protein into the surrounding tissue. Deep penetration of this viral protein (antigen) into the subcutaneous tissue presents the virus to the immune system, eliciting an immune response against the virus, which typically results in the resolution of both satellite and distant warts in addition to the treated primary wart*.

*NB: only one wart needs to be treated in order to initiate an immune response by the body.

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The fee includes the procedure and two follow-up appointments.