Wart Removal | Methods To Remove Warts

Wart Removal | Methods to Remove Wart

Wart removal can be achieved through simple procedures performed by a doctor or dermatologist at the clinic. Normally, local anesthetic would be administered to arrest the pain during the procedure. This is necessary as the discomfort and pain could be unbearable for most people who have a large number of warts. Not all warts require immediate removal, for instance, warts on children are observed to vanish gradually without treatment over several months to a few years. Removal should be considered when they start to grow at alarming rate or have become cosmetically ugly, and affecting your daily activities.

Before we talk more about the suitability of each wart removal method for specific type of warts, here are the common procedures to remove warts:

Cryotherapy for Wart Removal (Freezing of Warts)

Warts can be frozen off your skin by applying liquid nitrogen.

Excision/Cutting off Warts with Scissors or Scalpel

Small warts can be easily cut off with serrated or curved blade scissors. Excision is required for larger ones.

Electro Surgery/Electro Dessication (Cauterization/Burning of Warts)

Warts can be removed by burning with electric current.

Laser Surgery

Using laser technology to splice the warts and remove them. Laser surgery is often very expensive and local anesthetic would normally be injected into the affected area.

Over-the-counter (OTC) Medications

Plasters, gel or solution containing salicylic acid, tretinoin, glycolic acid or other surface peeling elements are effective against warts. Cantharidin or keratolytic wart paint can be applied or painted over the warts. It has the effect of forming a blister under the wart, ie separating the wart from inner skin layer and hence facilitate cutting of the dead wart.

Depending on the age of the sufferer and type of warts, different treatments may be administered. It is important to consult your dermatologist for his professional opinion.

For common warts, applying OTC medications is a preferred method for children since it is the least painful. The application is also relatively easy and can be done at home. But this course of wart removal can take weeks before you can see any positive results.

Cryotherapy and cauterization are suitable for adults because of their greater threshold for pain. Sufferers may experience stings during the treatment. Treatment has to be repeated at intervals of about 2 weeks until warts are completely removed. Sometimes, laser surgery may be the last resort if the wart removal is unsuccessful for persistent warts.

Similar to common warts, flat warts can be treated using OTC medications containing salicylic acid, glycolic acid etc. In short, they are effective because of their skin peeling properties. Research has shown that applying salicylic acid with acetic acid in an acetone collodion base is almost as effective in treating warts as cyrotherapy. But once again, the setback is the lengthy treatment process which can often stretch for months.

Foot warts can be removed using all the different types of wart removal methods discussed thus far. Common sense will also tell you that since they are caused by moist conditions and pressure, they can be kept at bay by wearing comfortable footwear that reduces pressure, and by keeping our feet dry.

Genital warts can be removed by cyrotherapy, laser surgery and electro surgery. Special chemicals may be applied on the warts over a span of weeks before they can be eliminated.

Other methods which are not so common include immunotherapy which means making use of the body’s natural immune system to reject the warts. This is often done with the introduction of external compounds such as interferon, bleomycin, etc.

Learn More about a Natural, Safe and Painless Way to Get Rid Of Warts Permanently From a Long-time Sufferer on Breakthrough Wart Removal

Wart Removal | Understanding Warts

Wart Removal | Understanding Warts

Wart Removal is a must when it becomes a cosmetic concern or irritation to some people. We may see the need to remove them when they start to interfere with our daily activities like playing games, etc. Before we do that, let's learn a bit more about warts.

Warts are largely benign skin growths caused by viral infection. The viruses, human papillomavirus (HPV) attacks the top layer of skin and result in warts.

There are mainly 4 types of warts - common warts, foot or plantar warts, flat warts and genital warts.

Common Warts usually appear on our hands, in broken skin areas near our fingers and nails.
They are also called seed warts because of their "spores" or "seed-like" appearance of the warts.

Plantar Warts as the name suggests grow on high pressure areas such as the plantar or foot sole area. Clustered plantar warts are also known as mosaic warts because of their appearance. Unlike common warts which protrude above the skin, they tend to be flat due to the walking pressure. They can also cause much pain to sufferers and plantar wart removal is necessary.

Flat warts usually occur in children and are as tiny as pinheads. They can show up on the face, arms, hands or knees. These warts can grow to large numbers in the range of 10s to 100 and often cluster together. They have many other names such as juvenile warts, filiform warts, etc. Children often complain of itch and pain caused by flat warts.

Genital warts also called Condyloma develop in different shapes and sizes. They can be flat flesh-colored bumps or tiny, mushroom-looking bumps. They normally grow on or around the penis, or near the anus for men. In women, genital warts may grow on the perineal and vulva area, on the cervix and in the vagina. The difference between genital warts and the rest is the risk of developing into cancer, whereas the others are benign.

There are many views about the causes of warts, but it is widely accepted that weak immunity to virus infection is one possibility. Others include exposure of skin to the viruses, ie through broken skin which explains why children being nail-biters are easy victims.

Warts are contagious and can be transmitted by physical or sexual contact or even through personal care items such as handkerchief, towels and other objects. Most people are unaware of their infection due to the long incubation period which can take months before symptoms are clear.

Existing wart removal methods include cyrotherapy ie destroying the warts by freezing, electrosurgery/excision, special chemicals, over-the-counter medications containing salicylic and latic acid, laser surgery, cauterization/burning off of the warts, boosting the immune system of sufferers, etc. Some of these have associated side-effects.

In My Next Post, I Will Describe The Benefits And Risks of Each Method Of Wart Removal