There
are dozens of old wives tales, rumors, folklore and
myths that surround warts. The stories even include
“exotic” remedies to cure them.
Have
you stayed away from that friendly frog in fear of
getting a wart? Have no fear-you can touch, handle
and even kiss a frog in attempts to find your prince-warts
do not come from frogs.
Warts
develop on the skin when you’ve come in contact
with a person or a surface that has warts or is carrying
the virus. What virus causes warts? The Human Papilloma
Virus
After
exposure to the virus, it can take weeks, even months
for the wart(s) to appear.
Another
common myth is that warts have roots. Warts do not
have roots If you have warts, or you’ve been
asking around for a remedy, you’ve probably
been told that unless you remove all of the roots,
the wart will remain. Once you understand how the
virus reacts on your skin, you’ll understand
why this is not so.
The
strain (there are many) of HPV that causes your wart
has double stranded DNA. You have three layers of
skin. The very top layer, the epidermis, is where
the wart develops and grows. The virus, no matter
how large, will never enter your dermis or subcutaneous
fat layer of skin. The virus grows just like your
skin, only at a more frequent rate. The other difference
between the wart and your skin is that it grows in
a cylinder fashion. With the rapid development and
cylinder shape, the wart is tightly compacted together.
This is where people get the idea of ‘roots’.
Just
as there are many different strains of HPV that cause
warts, there are many different types of warts.
The
most common wart, eloquently named ‘The Common
Wart’ is usually spotted on the hands, elbows
and knees. These warts generally have the appearance
of thickened bumps with tiny black dots in them. The
black dots are actually tiny blood vessels that were
‘feeding’ the wart, and have since clotted.
Plantar
warts are ‘annoying’ warts you’ll
find on your feet. These can be painful, especially
if they are located on areas in which you stand on
them. They too generally have tiny black dots and
are sometimes mistaken for corns and calluses.
Flat
warts are flat, smooth looking warts. These warts
are usually found on the face. These warts are easily
spread while shaving.
Genital
warts are in a class of their own. These are spread
by sexual contact and are classified as a sexually
transmitted disease. The HPV strains that cause other
types of warts are different than the strains that
cause genital warts. You can not use treatments or
over the counter remedies on these warts. Your only
option is to contact your doctor.
If
you have warts (other then genital), the following
is a list of several documented ways to banish them.
It’s
important to remember that warts are a virus-just
as antibiotics do no work on other viruses, they will
not work on warts.
It’s
also important to know that most warts improve and
go away on their own without treatment. Not only are
they annoying, depending on their location, they can
be quite embarrassing. This is the typical motivation
for removal.
The
most common attempt performed to remove both the common
wart and plantar wart on your feet is the use of over
the counter acid treatments. The main ingredient in
these is Salicylic acid. Drops are applied to the
wart after a shower or five minute soak, left to dry
and then either covered with a band-aid or other device.
The treated wart can even be left open to air. This
therapy requires application of the drops at least
twice a day and can last 12 weeks. If you’re
planning on using this treatment, it is important
to only apply the medication to the wart as the chemicals
will severely irritate the healthy skin.
Another
available treatment is freezing the wart. Kits are
available at the drugstore for in home use. Liquid
nitrogen is applied directly to the wart, one time
a week for as much as one month. It is recommended
that if you are not completely sure it is a wart,
or if there is no improvement to the wart after a
month of treatment, the area should be examined by
your doctor.
Doctors
can also freeze warts in the office. This treatment
is generally only required once or twice. If no improvement
is found from this, your doctor can also perform a
‘slice and burn.’ A slice and burn is
a non-technical term for a wart being cut out with
a laser and then cauterized or burned. Most doctors
do not like using this method because the chances
of scaring are great.
Many
people have had satisfactory results from using duct
tape. There are no official directions for this. Generally,
a piece is applied, kept on for a constant week, removed
washed, buffed lightly with an emory board and then
another piece is applied for another week. This treatment
is believed to be effective due to prohibiting oxygen
to the wart. A reaction seems to occur between the
wart and the duct tape.
Another
remedy circulating around the internet is the use
of vinegar. It is indicated that you saturate a band-aid
or cotton ball with vinegar and then apply it directly
to the wart. This should be repeated daily until the
wart is gone. The principle behind this treatment
is similar to the over the counter treatments but
is more cost effective. It also might be difficult
to mask the smell of the vinegar and the look of a
bulky taped cotton ball.
Others
have even resorted to hypno-therapy to rid themselves
of warts.
Many doctors believe that warts resolve on their own
due to a good immune system response. It is unknown
just how effective any treatments are at removing
warts. Is it the actual treatments making them improve
or is it the body’s immune system realizing
that the wart does not belong?
What
ever remedy you try, whether it be an over the counter
or non-traditional, use your best judgment. There
are many, many remedies floating around the internet
that can cause permanent injury. Some suggest cutting,
plucking and even burning your wart to remove it.
If your wart bothers you, or you’re not sure
that it is even a wart, don’t hesitate to contact
your doctor.
©
Rebecca Pillar 2007
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