How to get rid of warts
Warts are viral and are a common problem caused by infection with the human papillomavirus - known as HPV. They are non-cancerous skin growths. HPV causes a rapid growth of cells on the outer layer of the skin. There are several different categories of warts depending on their shape and the location. Treating warts can be done with anything from duct tape to lasers.
Warts can appear anywhere on the body. There are common warts, plane or flat warts, plantar warts, filiform warts, periungal warts, anogenital warts, oral warts and respiratory papillomas.
Filoform warts are often found on the face and have frond-like projections that grow rapidly.
Periungal warts are the warts that are found around the nail beds and are common with nail biters. They can also cause nail deformity.
Plantar warts only appear on the feet. These grow into the skin rather than outwards. Usually contacted in locker rooms, around swimming pools or by walking barefoot on dirty surfaces.
Flat warts are smooth warts that usually appear on the face, legs, arms. These can easily be spread by shaving.
Genital warts appear as small growths around the genital area that are flesh-colored, pink or red. They can be very tiny, appear in clusters, or look like a cauliflower.
Anogenital warts occur in the genitalia or in the genital tract and are one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. These can be an indication of sexual abuse in children under the age of 3. HPV infections of the genital tract can also be transmitted to the respiratory tract of a newborn child causing juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.
Oral warts are small pink or white papules on the mucous membrane of the mouth.
For women, cervical infection with HPV causes cervical cancer if untreated. Warts of the genital tract are an ominous and pernicious threat for women in particular. HPV DNA is present in virtually all cervical cases.
For those that suffer from warts, seeking advice with physicians, pharmacists, naturopaths, friends, family, dermatologists, gynecologists, obstetricians and pediatricians is done daily. Warts have been treated with everything from folk remedies to hypnosis to over-the-counter medications to even more aggressive clinic-based treatments.
Most treatments have some sort of effect on warts but no remedy is 100% successful for all warts. There is pain involved, and there are side effects as well as cost. Warts can be treated and removed successfully, but there is no cure for HPV and that will remain in your body.
Warts can disappear spontaneously making it difficult to know if the treatment caused the cure, to recur after an apparent total clearance, or just be stubborn enough to fight all treatments tried.
HPV causes cutaneous viral warts commonly located on the skin and the genitalia. There are over 188 strains of papillomavirus that have been identified.
The most common warts on the hands and feet are caused by five different types of HPV; more than 35 types of HPV infect the genital tract; 2 are associated with low risk anogenital warts; and six are associated with squamous cell and adencarcinomas of the cervix. It is common for a person to be infected with multiple types.
Warts are transmitted from direct person-to-person contact or indirectly by fomites (and inanimate substance or object that is capable of carrying the HPV virus from one to another – clothing, bedding, towels, hair, skin cells, toothbrushes, telephones, toys). Common areas for the spread of warts are bathrooms and swimming pools if the skin is macerated and touches rough surfaces. Once HPV has infected the skin, autoinoculation can occur by scratching, shaving or traumatizing the skin.
Common warts are located on the fingers, hands, knees, elbows or other sites of trauma – domed shaped papules or nodules. Plane or flat warts are flat topped papules with minimal scaling and only slight elevation. Intermediate warts can show signs of both common and flat warts. Deep burrowing warts, plantar warts, can be quite painful – they are callused, entophytic papules that have deeply penetrating sloping sides and a central depression. Numerous warts on the plantar surface will form a tile-like pattern known as mosaic warts.
Different types of warts require different types of treatments. Common warts don’t need treatment if you choose so.
Some believe in hypnosis to cure warts and preventing them from coming back.
Garlic extract, when applied to warts has proven to be effective with no recurrence after three to four months.
And of course there is duct tape! This is called tape occlusion. Place a piece of duct tape the size of the wart directly on it, leave on for 6 days, remove, use a pumice stone or an emery board to scrub the wart down after soaking it in water. Allow the wart to dry out overnight. The following morning repeat the entire process. Do this until the wart is gone.
Warts can be removed surgically, but scarring occurs and recurrence happens in at least 30% of the patients. The wart tissue can be cut off or an electrical current applied with a needle will burn off the wart (electrodesiccation or electrocautery).
Salicylic acid is an over-the-counter remedy that will slowly destroy the virus-infected epidermis. It is found in most of the over-the-counter wart remedies. You may experience a slight irritation. If at any time you are using a pumice or emery board, the wart must first be soaked in water for five minutes. It will take a daily application for about two to three months to get rid of a wart. Treatment is convenient since you are doing it yourself, the cost is reasonable, there is minimal discomfort, and reasonable effectiveness. The down-side to this is that it can take weeks or months to rid yourself of the wart.
Bichloracetic acid destroys the proteins in the cells and kills the wart and is usually applied by a doctor once a week.
Cantharidin/cantharone is used for epidermal cell death; apply to wart and cover with tape for 24 hours. A blister will appear, lifting the wart off the skin and it will heal in one to two weeks. The application is painless, but it causes inflammation and blistering within a few hours and can be uncomfortable.
Cryotherapy is the use of liquid nitrogen to freeze a wart off. This is done in a doctor’s office. There are over-the-counter products, such as Verruca-Freeze, that do not freeze tissue as fast as cryotherapy. The down-side of hydrotherapy is hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation, tendon and/or nerve damage if the therapy is too aggressive.
Some warts respond well to hot water treatment – just immerse in hot water.
There are exothermic patches that contain chemicals that produce heat through oxidation upon exposure to the air that have worked successfully.
Lasers have been used to remove warts. There may be some scarring with lasers. With some lasers healing can take from 7 days to 2 months, depending on the warts. This method is usually used for larger warts that haven’t responded to other treatments.
Glutaralkdehyde is a virucidal and can be applied twice a day. This may stain the skin brown and can cause sensitivity. This treatment is about as effective as salicylic acid.
Formaldehyde is another virucidal and can be used to soak plantar warts. Anyone with allergies or eczema should not use this.
Bleomycin is usually used for warts that have failed other treatments. Not be used by pregnant women, children, immunosuppressed renal transplant patients, or patients with vascular disease. It may also cause hyperpigmentation. This injection is not frequently used and is very painful.
Vitamin A can be used to treat warts either as a cream or oral medication or as a retinoid or retinoid cream. Retinoids affect wart growth, administered topically or systemically and work well in wart removal.
Podophyllin resin is used mostly in the treatment of anogenital warts and is applied by a doctor.
Podophyllotoxin solution is highly effective for short term treatment of symptoms but does not provide long term cure.
Oral zinc sulphate – dietary zinc – is good for the human immune system. Taking 10mg of oral zinc sulphate is effective in treating warts with complete clearance of them.
Injections of interferon have been used for genital warts; it is injected directly into the wart.
Trichoroacetic acid is applied by a doctor to burn off warts and requires more than one treatment. There is a high chance of recurrence, it causes pain and burning.
Other remedies have been fluorouracil (5-FU) applied topically, cimetidine taken in doses of 20 to 40mg, levamisole, imiquimod cream, as well as several others.
Sometimes a combination of therapies is needed to successfully get rid of warts. The best wart treatment for a person depends on the type of wart, your immune system, if you have allergies, and the type of HPV you have. What works for some will not be as successful for others.
And regardless of the treatment(s), the warts can be successfully removed by the HPV virus will remain in your body.
Warts can be prevented. Since they are caused by a virus, there are some things you can do to help prevent contacting the virus as well as prevent from spreading it to other people.
Frequent hand washing – especially after touching a wart.
Use soap and disinfectant on any cuts or scratches, which are susceptible to warts.
Do not brush, clip or shave areas with warts to avoid spreading them.
Never use the nail clipper or nail file from your fingernails on the warts. And don’t use the same emery board if using to file down warts for a treatment.
Never pick at warts.
Place a band aid over a child’s wart so they don’t pick at it.
Warts love moisture, so keep your hands as dry as possible.
If using a public shower, wear a pair of thongs or shower shoes.
Cover warts with waterproof tape in wet environments to avoid infecting others.
Do not touch anyone’s warts.
Don’t bite your nails if you have warts on your hands.
Do not have sex with anyone who has visible signs of genital warts.
Warts are a virus and treatment should be done in a safe and effective manner. Ask your doctor about your warts and the best treatment for removing them.
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Hi, gr8 post thanks for posting. Information is useful!
Kelly Brown
12 Jun 09 at 3:27 pm
What?s the difference between turpentine and tea tree oil? Turpentine is just from pine trees.
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2 Nov 09 at 8:44 am