Warts are caused by a class of virus known as Human Papillomavirus. Warts are very widespread in humans and are very common in children and young adults. There are many forms of Human Papillomavirus and cause as verruca vulgaris, warts on soles known as plantar warts, warts on face known as flat warts or verruca plana, and genital warts known ascondyloma accuminata. Genital warts are sexually transmitted and is considered a form of STD.
Warts may sometimes be tough to treat, requiring many sessions of treatment. Treatment options include freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen, application with canthecur (blisterbeetle extract), topical prescription creams like Aldara or Retin-A,electrosurgery, or even injection with Candida antigen. Depending on the degree of severity and location, several of these methods may be employed. There is now an effective solution against Warts.
What is a wart?
Warts are caused by a virus known as the Human Papillomavirus. There are no vaccinations yet against such a virus. Just like other viral infections, it spreads from person to person through skin contact. Once contracted, it must be treated to prevent spread to other parts of the body.
How do people contract warts?
Warts are contracted through skin to skin contact. Touching or shaking hands with someone who has warts can potentially expose you to it.
If I had warts before and had it treat it, can it come back?
Yes. Warts may come back years later after being treated. This is why it is so important to treat the wart again as soon as you see it coming back.
How important is it to treat warts early?
Warts are caused by a virus and it is very important to treat them early before they get bigger and potentially spread to other parts of the body or other family members. In children, warts can be transferred to the genital area through contact with that part of the body.
Can I become immune to warts?
Yes. In most cases, your immune system will recognize the virus and develop immunity against it. This is why most adults do not have warts.
What are the treatment options for warts?
The following are potential treatment options for treating warts. Please be advised that warts on face are treated differently than warts on the hands or feet.
Duct tape: it is true that duct tape can be used to get rid of warts. For unknown reasons, grey duct tape works better. Typically this method is just used for warts on the fingers. A duct tape is wrapped around the wart and changed daily.
Liquid nitrogen: This is the standard of care for treating warts. The liquid nitrogen will freeze the wart and kill it. Many treatments may be necessary. Dr. Behnam prefers not to use liquid nitrogen on the face of darker skin individuals, as this can leave a permanent scar at the site of the wart.
Canthecur: canthecur is beetle juice extract. This is applied to affected area and causes a blister, thus killing the wart. This is an excellent treatment option for younger kids, as it does not hurt or burn when applied to the skin.
Electrocautery: Warts can be removed by an electrocautery, which is a device which heats up and vaporizes the skin.
Lasers: V-beam can also be used in treating warts, although the success rate may not be any better than liquid nitrogen.
Topical creams: There are many topical creams that may be used in treating warts. Aldara, Zyclara or Imiquimod are FDA approved for the treatment of genital warts. These medications can also be used off label to treat warts in other parts of the body, however they may not work as well. These creams are topically used to treat genital warts. The use of liquid nitrogen and Aldara works well in treating genital warts. Liquid nitrogen kills the warts that we can clinically see on the surface of skin and Aldara works by stimulating the immune response to kill the wart. Tretinoin, Retin-a and Tazorac may also be used to treat warts as well.
Are there any laser treatments for warts?
An electrocautery can be used to burn off warts. This method is typically used to treat warts in sensitive areas where scar is to be avoided, such as face. In additions, lasers such as V-beam can be used to treat warts as well.
How do you tell the difference between a corn and a wart?
If inspected carefully, warts have very small speckles of black dots in them. These dots represent blood vessels in the wart. However, a corn lacks blood vessels, thus it has no speckles of black dots in it.
How do you treat tough warts on the sole?
Plantar warts, or warts on soles require many treatments. Typically, patients are seen every 2 weeks. The area is first paired down every time, and then treated with liquid nitrogen and canthacur (beetle juice extract).