Bazuka Gel

...about it, I bought some Bazuka Gel.


What is Bazuka?
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I have heard the familiar phrase many a time, Bazuka that verruca on TV adverts. Bazuka gel is used to treat verrucas, warts and can also be used on corns and calluses. Because this catchy phrase sprung to mind, I decided to try Bazuka, I chose the extra strength gel. After soaking the foot for 2-3 minutes in warm water (or hand), ...
...advised not to get the Bazuka on healthy skin as it may cause inflammation, that is why only a small amount is required. It did sting me a little bit when it got onto my healthy skin by my toes. I was not concerned though as it did not last long. It caused the skin to peel a little bit, but no long term damage. It is not to be used on anything other than verrucas, corns and warts. People with diabetes or poor circulation are not to use it. Never ... more

I have always prided myself on having nice feet. Well, within reason. They are your average size 6 and whilst not outstandingly attractive (because feet aren`t), they have always been in good condition. My mum has frequent visits from the podiatrist to treat corns, hard skin, calluses etc. I had never had any problems with mine. I could never really understand how people could require so much podiatry input (she is not the only one). I don`t paticularly look after my feet, just apply some lotion occassionally, I can wear any shoes I like (occassionally) and consistently have no problems, until a few months ago. Shock horror, I found not one, not two, but THREE verrucas.

What are verrucas?
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Verrucas and warts are the same thing, but warts are more commonly present on the hands, whereas verrucas make themselves known on the foot. They are both caused by a virus and they are infectious. They are excessive growths of skin and if left untreated, they can spread. They can also be transfered from person to person in the shower, hence the reason I contracted the verruca (one originally), from using the gym changing rooms. I had no idea that I had a verruca, so consequently it went untreated. I realised I had a sore bit of skin on my foot, but I thought my time for needing the podiatrist was approaching. Before I knew it, I had 3. It was uncomfortable to walk on, the skin was hard, with an uneven surface in places. I asked my Mums advice on day when I was visiting and she reliably informed me, that I had a verruca. I was shocked to say the least, but at least I could do something about it, I bought some Bazuka Gel.

What is Bazuka?
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I have heard the familiar phrase many a time, Bazuka that verruca on TV adverts. Bazuka gel is used to treat verrucas, warts and can also be used on corns and calluses. Because this catchy phrase sprung to mind, I decided to try Bazuka, I chose the extra strength gel. After soaking the foot for 2-3 minutes in warm water (or hand), dry and apply the gel. One to two drops should be sufficient. This sticks to the skin and forms a waterproof patch so there is no need to cover. Every evening for 2 or 3 days, you need to pick off the white patch and reapply. There is an emery board supplied and this should be used weekly to file off the hard skin. The length of time for treatment varies apparently. I used the extra strength gel which is in a yellow box, the normal strength gel is in a blue box. They each contain 5g. The blue one is cheaper, but they both range in price, it does say pharmacy only on the extra strength, but it can be bought on line it would appear. I bought mine from Boots. Prices range from £4 something to £6 something for the extra strength.

Problems?
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You are advised not to get the Bazuka on healthy skin as it may cause inflammation, that is why only a small amount is required. It did sting me a little bit when it got onto my healthy skin by my toes. I was not concerned though as it did not last long. It caused the skin to peel a little bit, but no long term damage. It is not to be used on anything other than verrucas, corns and warts. People with diabetes or poor circulation are not to use it. Never use on anythin with a hair growing from it or near face, neck, breasts, genitals. If using it on your feet and it is not properly dry, it will stick to your slipper. If on your hand, it may not need to be covered, but it may look unsightly. It is flammable, so needs to be stored carefully, not above 25 degrees, away from naked flame etc.

What is in it?
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I am refering to the extra strength Bazuka here, it contains 26% salicylic acid, camphor, povidone, proxylin, ethanol and acetone. Combined together, these ingredients break down and remove the wart, verruca, corn or callus.

Does it work?
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Well yes.......eventually, I was getting really bored with it. I would use it each night for a time with seemingly no result.

Eventually I reread the instructions and realised I was not using it enough, or correctly. I hadn`t been bothering to soak the foot first, or pick off the layer before reapplying. I was getting really fed up and the verrucas were lasting months.

Soon, I got into a good routine. Straight after my bath or shower, I would peel off the layer (easier when wet as the skin is softer) and reapply. Always remembering to wash my hands after peeling it off, I would then go into the bedroom and sit on the bed. I would apply the gel and keep my foot on the bed until it dried. I would keep my foot up for the duration that I was drying my hair. You do not touch the skin when applying the gel, so it is not necessary to wash your hands again. When my hair was dry, I would put my slipper on and it didn`t stick. This was about the right amount of time. If I didn`t dry my hair, or leave it long enough, the gel would stick to my slipper.

Once I began to do this each night, I noticed an improvement. The small one went quite quickly, I would peel off the film and healthy skin would be revealed. The larger two took a big longer, but bingo!, they are gone. I was begining to think they wouldn`t, but they have. It was a bit tedious, when I saw no improvement, the incentive to use it waned a little. Once I began to see an improvement, my enthusiasm for the product returned. One you remove as much as the hard skin as possible, healthy skin is underneath, the hard skin becoming smaller.

Am I going to use it again?
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Well I hope not. I don`t intend to get any more verrucas thanks very much!

If I do, then I would.

It is not something that you can use half heartedly, you need to use it properly, read the instructions. You can`t just stick it on and hope it will work, you do need to peel it off and reapply. It is not a very pleasant job, treating verrucas, that is why I didn`t bother as frequently as I should have. Once I used it properly, it worked.

I am not sure that I would be as keen to use it on warts on the hand, for the simple reason, it does make them appear bigger with the gel on them as it dries white. I don`t know what else I would use though, so it probably would be the first choice.

My horse had a wart that I was able to remove by using washing powder by making it into a paste. It was an internet tip, it made the wart dry and it dropped off. It was in a place where it stayed on though, not so practical for humans. I would probably stick to the Bazuka.

It has taken a few months, partly due to me not using the Bazuka correctly in the begining, but now, I am back to having healthy feet.  

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