Warty experience
The word ‘warts’ conjures up some lovely mental images. Perhaps you think of a toad covered in warts or a Grimm’s fairy tale image of a raggedy old witch with outrageously large, hairy warts bulging out all over her face. For centuries, people have disapproved of these virus produced growths and have made them the object of disgrace.
Perhaps one of the reasons warts receive such negative attention is that they are contagious and often unsightly. Warts spread through direct contact or by contact with something that has touched a wart, like a towel. They are caused by a virus called Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which affects the top layer of skin. There is no cure for HPV so warts can reappear at any time. In most cases, warts tend to only infect cut or damaged skin and rarely manage to infect healthy, intact skin.
The most common warts are skin-colored with a rough texture, but some can range in colour from brown to gray-black and be smooth and flat.
Common warts (Vurruca vulgaris) are frequently found on children’s hands. They can be identified by their ‘seedy’ looking appearance as they are a collection of many little, black, rough-feeling speckles.
Warts that are found on the feet are called plantar warts. Generally they are flat and tend to grow inward because of the pressure created by standing and walking. A plantar wart can feel like walking with a pebble in your shoe. Plantar warts can also have little black dots and they can grow in clusters (called mosaic warts).
Flat warts are very non-prejudice and can show up just about anywhere: kids get them on their face, men commonly get them on the skin where their beards grow, and women on their legs due to shaving cuts. These are small, smooth warts that grow in colonies… up to 20 to 100 at a time!
Filiform warts are long, thin warts that grown outwards from the skin like protruding threads. They can grow very quickly and often show up around the mouth, eyes/eyelids, and nose.
Normally, warts resolve by themselves but it can take months to years. Thus, people often opt to start treatment. In children, treatment is often not needed unless the warts are painful or multiplying quickly as the warts resolve fairly quickly. Adults are not quite as fortunate as children, and the warts may be more difficult to get rid of.
Some warts can be treated at home, but it is always best to get a doctor’s diagnoses to confirm it is a wart and not something more serious. Never treat without first talking to a doctor if the wart: is on your face or private areas, there are many warts, they hurt, itch, burn or bleed, you have a compromised immune system, you aren’t sure it is a wart, or if you have diabetes.
Most over-the-counter medications for home treatment use salicyclic acid in the form of gels, liquids, or medicated bandages. Before applying salicyclic acid, it is best to soak the wart in warm water for 15 minutes then rough it up with an emery board. The salicyclic acid will need to be applied daily for weeks and sometimes month before the wart is gone. Remember that it can take weeks to see improvement. As for alternative treatments, most of them are not proven to be effective. There are some positive results with using duct tape to treat warts however. Putting duct tape on the wart helps to prevent it from spreading, and when the duct tape is removed it peels off layers of the wart. If you decide to try this make sure to change the duct tape every few days. If the wart will not go away despite several weeks of treatment, it hurts, or there are many than a doctor/dermatologist should be consulted. Doctors can use several different types of treatment such as Canthacur (cantharidin), cryotherapy (freezing), burning, scraping, excision, and laser treatment.
Prevention is often a lot easier than treatment. Ways to help prevent warts and keep them from spreading include: do not to pick or scratch at them, wear sandals in public showers, locker areas, and pool areas, never touch another person’s warts (don’t touch your own warts and then touch other parts of your body either), and keep your feet dry. Remember to talk to your pharmacist/doctor if you have any questions!