Wart removers have been coming and going for centuries. The quest for healthier-looking, blemish-free skin is an age-old quest for both men and women. However, most people don’t know what warts really are (besides ugly!) and therefore don’t know the best way to find the wart removal method that’s best for them. Here is a brief overview of what warts are and the most effective ways to treat them.
For starters, no one died of warts! Warts are simply an HPV or human papillomavirus infection. HPV is everywhere in the environment and it is unavoidable.
When we get an HPV infection, we get small patches on our skin that range from reddish, pimple-like bumps on the face, hands, arms, or torso, to flat, white disc-shaped marks on the soles of our feet.
We can also have warts on our genitals. More on this later.
Warts are highly contagious, but they do not pose a threat to your health. We collect them from other infected people and, in many cases, they die again without any intervention, especially in children. You should treat them out of respect for yourself and others, but other than that, there’s no reason to panic.
However, genital warts DO deserve prompt and effective care. Because?
Number one, they’re harder to self-diagnose, given where they’re found, and number two, other, more serious STDs look like warts, but aren’t. If you see any wart-like growth on your genital or anal region, consult a doctor without delay. Whatever you have, you don’t want to pass it on, so use your head and get treated.
The main medical treatments for common warts are laser therapy and cryotherapy. Both are highly effective and both have the effect of burning or freezing the wart and killing the virus.
Laser therapy involves the use of a small handheld laser and can be performed by your doctor on an outpatient basis in his or her own office. It has a good track record of leaving a clean, scar-free result. However, there may be some pain, similar to the sensation of having a rubber band against the skin. Some people prefer to have local anesthesia during this procedure.
Cryotherapy uses extremely cold liquid nitrogen or some other cryogen. A short application is enough to freeze the wart, which can then be removed by throwing it away. Again, good results are often achieved, and it can also be done on an outpatient basis.
Other remedies can be tried at home. They usually require a bit of patience, as they are not as fast as laser therapy or cryotherapy.
An old favorite is salicylic acid. This comes in a diluted form at your local pharmacy, although stronger prescription solutions are also available. Read the instructions on the bottle very well. In short, wash and dry the affected area and apply drops of the acid directly to the warts.
You may see the wart turn whitish on contact, but this does not mean the wart is healed. Repeated daily applications are necessary, often for up to 21 days. Every day use a pumice stone to remove accumulated dead skin and keep treated areas very clean and bandaged between applications.
Finally, surgery is the solution of last resort for persistent warts that cause significant cosmetic problems. A word of warning: Because wart removal is usually simply a cosmetic issue, your health insurance company may not cover your costs. Few things in life are free, so be aware of all the costs involved before beginning surgery as a last resort to remove warts.
