What's warts all about

For some reason there has always been a certain mystique about warts. I can remember as a child hearing a lot of old wives’ tales about how people got skin warts. According to one of the popular theories, touching a toad or frog would cause warts to grow on your hands.

There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about those strange bumps that appear on the skin. Wart sufferers usually are embarrassed by them, and those without skin warts generally are repulsed by them.

In this blog, we are going to try to dispel some of the myths about skin warts and answer some common questions. What are the actual causes of warts? What is the best treatment for warts?

Warts – small, non-cancerous, painless bump on your skin

Warts are common, contagious, usually harmless skin growths that appear when a virus infects the top layer of your skin. Viruses that cause warts are called human papillomavirus (HPV).

There are more than 100 types of human papillomavirus, and most of them can cause warts on the skin.

The virus spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact. This is why warts can spread from one person to another as well as from your one body part to another. For example, children with hand warts who suck their thumbs can infect the facial areas around the mouth.

The virus enters your skin through small surface abrasions (moist, cracked or peeled skin). Warts can aggravate in those who have a habit of nail-biting as it traumatizes their skin and makes it extremely difficult to treat the condition.

Common warts are seen most often in school-age children and adolescents, especially before puberty. However, the entire population is at risk. Genital warts are mainly seen in sexually active adults.

Wart treatment – should you treat them?

Most warts will persist for one to two years if they are left untreated. Eventually, the body will recognize the virus and fight it off, causing the wart to disappear. While they remain, however, warts can spread very easily when you pick at them or when they are on the hands, feet or face and you may not like the appearance.

There are different treatments for warts. Make sure you talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of your wart treatment as some cause scarring. The response to wart treatment also varies significantly. Some warts recover readily, while others might require long-term treatment. The trouble with warts is that they are contagious and therefore spread easily, thus warranting prompt treatment.

Treatment for Warts

The conventional treatment makes use of different procedures for wart removal. Salicylic acid is the commonest topical cream used. Other treatment for warts includes cryosurgery which involves freezing warts with liquid nitrogen, surgical curettage, keratolysis and laser. These methods generally provide only temporary relief and there is a tendency for relapse besides the risk of procedural complications involved.

So, is there any safe and natural treatment for warts?

Homeopathy treatment for warts is one of the best medicines with proven efficacy. This is because homeopathy does not suppress symptoms like in other systems of medicine, but tries to eradicate the ‘root’ cause of warts.

Homeopathic medicines for warts treat an individual holistically- to bring about better, also greater health and well-being at all levels. There is no ‘one medicine suits all’ in homeopathy. When using homeopathy medicine for warts, good results are achieved when the remedy corresponds to the individual characteristics of the person as well as the shape and appearance of warts, which differs in each patient.

In one study, 90 percent of patients with various types of warts saw their warts disappear within six months when remedies that matched their individualizing symptoms were used.

At Dr Batra’s, our doctors consider the physical appearance of your warts, your emotional well being, stress levels, any triggers that aggravate the condition, and several other factors are taken into consideration before prescribing homeopathic medicines for warts.

Along with homeopathic medicines for warts, prevention of spread also plays an important role in the treatment of warts:

• Wash hands regularly and keep them clean
• If there are any cuts, wounds, etc. clean them thoroughly
• Don't pick at or scratch warts since this may spread them to other areas of the body
• Don't share articles of personal use with others

• If you or your partner has genital warts, abstain from sexual activity since genital warts are highly contagious.