Description

Warts are small, grainy skin growths that occur most frequently in the fingers or the hands. They are rough to the touch, and often have small black spots. These points are clotted blood vessels.

Warts are caused by a virus and is transmitted by contact. It can take 2 to 6 months for a wart to develop. Warts are usually harmless and eventually disappear on their own. But many people decide to delete them because they find them annoying or embarrassing.

Symptoms

Warts common symptoms include:

  • Small, fleshy, grainy bumps on the fingers or hands.
  • Feeling rough to the touch.
  • A pinch of black dots, which are clotted blood vessels.

When to see a doctor

Consult a health care professional for common warts, if:

  • The growths hurt, bleed, burn, or itch.
  • Have you tried the treatment of warts, but persist, spread or come back.
  • The growths are annoying or interfering with activities.
  • You are unsure if the tumors are warts.
  • You have many warts.
  • You have a weak immune system.
  • The warts appear on the face, feet, or genitals.

Causes

Warts are caused by the human papilloma virus, also known as HPV. There are more than 100 types of this virus is common, but only a few cause warts on the hands. Some strains of HPV are transmitted through sexual contact. But most of it is spread by contact with the skin or shared objects, such as towels or cloths. The virus is spread through cuts in the skin, such as stepparents, or scrapes. Biting your nails can also cause warts to spread on their tips of the fingers and around the nails.

Each person's immune system that responds to the HPV virus in a different way. So not everyone who comes in contact with HPV will develop warts.

Risk factors

The people most at risk of developing common warts include:

  • Children and young adults.
  • People with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV / AIDS or those who have had organ transplants.
  • People with the habit of nail biting or picking at hangnails.

Prevention

To help prevent common warts:

  • Do not touch or pick at your warts, including your own.
  • Do not use the same emery board, pumice stone or a nail clipper in warts as the use of healthy skin, and nails. Use a disposable emery board.
  • Don't bite your fingernails or pick at hangnails.
  • The groom with care. And avoid brushing, trimming or shaving areas that have warts.
  • Avoid shared hot tubs, showers and baths with warm water. And don't share towels or washcloths.
  • Use hand cream daily moisturizing. This helps to prevent dry, cracked skin.

Diagnosis

In most cases, a health professional can diagnose a common wart with one or more of these techniques:

  • The examination of the wart.
  • Scrape off the top layer of the wart to check dark-detect points, which are common in the warts.
  • Removal of a small sample of the wart and send it to a lab to rule out other types of skin tumors. This is called a shave biopsy.

Treatment

Most warts go away without treatment, though it may take a year or two, and the new can be developed nearby. Some people choose to have their warts treated by a health care professional due to that treatment at home is not working and the warts are annoying, dissemination or an aesthetic concern.

The goals of treatment are to destroy the wart, stimulate a response from the immune system to fight the virus, or both. The treatment can last for weeks or months. Even if the warts go away with treatment, which tend to come back or spread. Your health care professional is likely to suggest to start the treatment with the least painful method, especially when the treatment of young children.

Treatment for common warts, includes the following approaches. Which is best for you depends on if the wart is, its symptoms and preferences. These methods are sometimes in combination with home treatments.

  • Prescription-strength peeling of the medicine. Wart medications with salicylic acid work by removing layers of a wart a little bit at a time. Studies have shown that salicylic acid is more effective when combined with the freezing or the pulsed-dye laser treatment.
  • 5-fluoruracil. This wart of the medicine is applied directly on the wart and keep it under a bandage for 12 weeks. This method is often used with good results in children.
  • Candida antigen. This method works by injecting antigen of candida in a wart. Stimulates the immune system to fight genital warts, even those that are not near the site of the injection. This is an off-label use of this medication, which means that you do not have approval from the FDA for the removal of warts. This method is often used with good results to the people whose warts have not responded to other treatments.
  • Freezing.The freezing of therapy administered in the office of a professional of the health consists in the application of liquid nitrogen to the wart. This method is also called cryotherapy. It works by causing a blister to form under and around the wart, killing the tissue. The dead tissue is moving out in a week or so. It is likely that you will need to repeat the treatment. Side effects of cryotherapy include pain, blistering, and scarring. Because this technique can be painful, but that is not normally used for the treatment of warts in young children.
  • Other acids.If the salicylic acid or freezing is not working, your health care professional may be able to suggest trichloroacetic acid or other acids. With this method, the wart is shaved, then the acid is applied with a wooden toothpick. You will need to repeat the treatment every week or so, until the wart disappears. The side effects are burning, itching, and changes in the color of the skin.
  • Remove tissue of the wart. Your health care professional can use a special tool to remove part of the wart. This tool is called a curet. This treatment can be combined with other methods. Warts can reappear in the same area.
  • The laser treatment.If the other methods have not worked, your health care professional may suggest that the treatment with laser. This type of treatment is also called photo-based therapy. Examples include the carbon dioxide laser, pulsed dye laser and photodynamic therapy. The treatment with laser burning the small blood vessels in the warts. Over time, the wart dies and falls off. Evidence of how well laser treatments work is limited. A carbon dioxide laser can cause pain and scarring.

Freezing. The freezing of therapy administered in the office of a professional of the health consists in the application of liquid nitrogen to the wart. This method is also called cryotherapy. It works by causing a blister to form under and around the wart, killing the tissue. The dead tissue is moving out in a week or so. It is likely that you will need to repeat the treatment.

Side effects of cryotherapy include pain, blistering, and scarring. Because this technique can be painful, but that is not normally used for the treatment of warts in young children.

Other acids. If the salicylic acid or freezing is not working, your health care professional may be able to suggest trichloroacetic acid or other acids. With this method, the wart is shaved, then the acid is applied with a wooden toothpick. You will need to repeat the treatment every week or so, until the wart disappears.

The side effects are burning, itching, and changes in the color of the skin.

The laser treatment. If the other methods have not worked, your health care professional may suggest that the treatment with laser. This type of treatment is also called photo-based therapy. Examples include the carbon dioxide laser, pulsed dye laser and photodynamic therapy. The treatment with laser burning the small blood vessels in the warts. Over time, the wart dies and falls off.

Evidence of how well laser treatments work is limited.

A carbon dioxide laser can cause pain and scarring.

Self-care

Treatments in the home, such as the following, often, to remove common warts. Do not use these methods if you have an impaired immune system or diabetes.

  • Peeling of the medicine.Non-prescription wart removal products such as salicylic acid is available as pills, gels, and liquids. For common warts, look for a 17% solution of salicylic acid. These products (Compound W, Dr. Scholl's Clear Away, other) are used on a daily basis, often for a couple of weeks. For best results, take the wart in warm water for a few minutes before applying the product. File away any dead skin with a disposable emery or pumice stone between the treatments. If your skin becomes sore, stop using the product for a period of time. If you are pregnant, talk with your doctor before using an acid solution.
  • Freezing. Some of the liquid nitrogen products are available without a prescription in liquid or aerosol form (Compound W Freeze Off, Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away, others).
  • The adhesive tape. The results of several small studies of duct tape for warts show that this treatment does not work very well. If you'd like to try it, follow these steps: Cover the wart with duct tape for six days. Then, soak the wart in water and gently remove the dead tissue with a pumice stone or disposable emery board. Leave the wart exposed for about 12 hours, and then repeat the process until the wart disappears.

Peeling of the medicine. Non-prescription wart removal products such as salicylic acid is available as pills, gels, and liquids. For common warts, look for a 17% solution of salicylic acid. These products (Compound W, Dr. Scholl's Clear Away, other) are used on a daily basis, often for a couple of weeks. For best results, take the wart in warm water for a few minutes before applying the product. File away any dead skin with a disposable emery or pumice stone between the treatments.

If your skin becomes sore, stop using the product for a period of time. If you are pregnant, talk with your doctor before using an acid solution.

Preparing for your appointment

It is likely to start by seeing your primary healthcare professional. But you may be referred to a specialist in disorders of the skin. This type of doctor is called a dermatologist. The following tips can help you prepare for your appointment.

What you can do

Bring a list of all the medications that you regularly take, including otc medicines and dietary supplements. List of the daily dose of each one.

It is also possible that you want to the list of questions to ask during your appointment, such as:

  • What did that develop warts?
  • If I have them removed, they will come back?
  • What types of treatments to remove the warts, and that I recommend?
  • What types of side effects can I expect?
  • What are the alternatives to the approach that you suggest?
  • If the tumors are warts, what evidence do you have to do?
  • How can I prevent warts?

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care professional may have some questions for you, such as:

  • When did you first notice that warts?
  • Have you ever been in the past?
  • Are you bothered by the warts, either for aesthetic reasons or for convenience?
  • What treatments have been used already for warts? How long have you used and what were the results?
The symptoms and treatment of Common warts