You may have heard the old tale that warts occur from handling frogs- but if you have found yourself with a wart you know that isn’t the truth. Warts are hard growths that come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. You can get warts on anywhere on the body. If you are suffering from pesky and unsightly warts and are looking for effective treatments and ways to remove them, keep reading.
What is a Wart
A wart is a generally a small and rough growth. Warts tend to appear in clusters, but single warts may occur. Warts tend to be the same color as the surrounding skin but are hard growths. Warts may appear anywhere but are most commonly found on the hands and feet. Warts typically do not cause any symptoms.
Warts are caused by a virus. Warts are caused by your skin encountering the virus. Warts can be spread from one person to another, and can also be spread from one part of your body to another. The virus that causes warts may be more easily spread if you are working with meat, using contaminated surfaces such as bath mats or towels, have eczema, have a low immune system or use public showers or swimming pools. There are many different types of warts including plantar warts, filiform warts, genital warts, sexually transmitted warts, common warts and more.
Broken skin including hangnails and blisters are more likely to become infected because the virus can easily invade the top layer of skin. It is very important to wash your hands and not pick at warts to avoid spreading them. You should also make sure that you keep your skin healthy and cover up any wounds. You should use fresh towels and make sure that your feet are covered when you are in public settings including community pools, locker rooms and spas.
How to Get Rid of Warts
Warts often go away on their own after a few months or years. You may want to get rid of warts because they cause you embarrassment, are spreading or are causing you pain. A few of the most common wart treatments include:
- Prescription medications
- There are many different prescription medications that a doctor may choose to treat your warts with. These medications may fight the off the infecting virus and may be administered orally or as an injection. Some medications may be applied topically and case the wart to stop growing or to blister off.
- Over the counter medications
- There are many medications available for wart removal.
- Surgery
- Wart removal surgery is usually quick and relatively painless.
- Surgery may use electrosurgery or curettage. The wart is burned with an electrical current through electrosurgery. Curettage uses a sharp knife to cut out the wart. Electrosurgery and curettage is often used together.
- Laser surgery is another option that uses a laser beam to burn off the wart.
- Cryotherapy
- This treatment option uses a very cold liquid to freeze the wart.
Seed Wart
Seed warts are unattractive skin lesions that are caused by a virus. Seed warts often appear on the hands, feet, fingers, under finger nails, mouth and genitals. Seed warts are characterized by the black dots that they contain. The black dots are caused by blood vessels that surround the wart. The blood vessels may be found under the wart, through the wart or around the wart. The blood vessels supply the wart with oxygen and nutrients so that it can thrive. Seed warts may cause pain, redness and inflammation to the surrounding area. Seed warts can be treated in a variety of ways including topical creams, cryotherapy, chemical treatments, laser surgery and medical surgery. Seed warts will often clear up on their own as the immune system fights off the virus.
Planter Wart
Planter warts are warts that occur on feet (generally the soles of the feet). Plantar warts are small growths on the feet that may or may not have tiny black dots on them. Plantar warts are caused by a virus and invade the skin through small cuts and openings. Plantar warts can grow together. Walking and standing can cause plantar warts to occur. Calluses often form to contain the warts and prevent them from spreading. Plantar warts can cause pain and pressure, sometimes making certain physical activities such as walking quite painful.
Plantar warts are very contagious and can be spread easily. Since plantar warts affect the feet it is important to exercise caution when you are in public settings where the virus may be present. Plantar warts are often spread in locations where bare feet are present including swimming pools, communal showers, spas, gym facilities and schools. Plantar warts are especially common in children and people who have weak immune systems.
Plantar warts often go away with time on their own, but if they are painful there are many ways that you can treat them. Some at home remedies include using duct tape to soften the wart and have it eventually fall off. It is important to make sure that you do not pick or scratch at the warts because that can spread them. Medical treatments to remove plantar warts include using liquid nitrogen, laser therapy, surgical removal, and salicylic acid.