What are they?
A wart is a local growth on the skin involving the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of skin. It is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is spread by direct contact with one of your own warts or a wart of somebody else. They are usually present on one part of the body and don’t tend to spread to other areas.
Common warts
Common warts are dome shaped growths usually found on the fingers, knees and toes. If it is found on the bottom of the foot it is called a plantar wart. If it is found under or around the nail it is called periungual. The flat variety is often present in large numbers and occurs most commonly on the face and legs. The filiform type is singular and long, and often occurs on the face.
Diagnosis
A doctor is generally able to diagnose a wart by looking at it, especially if it is not painful. In cases where there are associated symptoms, what may seem like a wart may actually be some other kind of growth, in which case the doctor may decide to do a biopsy of it. This is of particular importance as it could be a cancerous growth.
Treatment
Different types sometimes need different methods of treatment but there are some that will work for any common wart. When it comes to treatment there are many things you can choose from. The most commonly used over-the-counter product is salicylic acid. The epidermis of the skin is largely composed of keratin. Salicylic acid works by destroying this keratin and will therefore be able to effectively destroy the wart. It is suitable for any size wart, and is available in a range of modalities including gels, drops, plasters and pads.
Another method that can be used is duct tape. The theory behind this is that if the wart is suffocated it will disappear. The problem is that in order for it to work it needs to be kept on all the time, and in most cases the tape falls off.
Then there are some prescription methods that can be useful. The two most popular are freezing and lasering. With the freezing technique, liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the wart. It is then free to be removed without any harm to you. The laser technique, as the term suggests, involves using a laser to remove the wart. Both these methods are equally effective.
Failed treatment
As often as popular methods of treatment are used, some people do not respond to them and the wart stays. If this happens there are a number of alternatives. For genital warts that are unresponsive to treatment the doctor may want to use an immune modulator to help get rid of the wart. Injections of candida as well as bleomycin may also do the trick. With these methods it is important that you never try to devise your own treatment plan and that you consult a doctor before taking any form of these treatments.
