Wart Removal

Warts affect millions of people around the world. Most likely, if you have not had one yourself, you have known someone who did. While warts are never fun to have and usually cause quite a bit of embarrassment, they are not cancerous and they do not pose any immediate health problems. Left untreated, though, warts can sometimes lead to greater problems.

A wart is actually a virus, the human papillomavirus (or HPV). There are over 100 strains of HPV, thus creating many different kinds of warts. The different types of human papillomavirus are numbered to refer to each one specifically. For instance, the common wart is usually from type 2 or 4 of HPV.

Because a wart is a virus, they can be particularly hard to treat. Viruses are known for being difficult to shake off, and the wart is no exception. Like a virus, warts are also contagious.

There are several different types of warts. Some include common warts, facial warts, flat warts, periungual warts, plantar warts, and seed warts. While this certainly not an exhaustive list, it touches on some of the more prevalent types.

Common warts

Common warts can refer to a general number of warts, not just any one in particular. For instance, periungual warts, seed warts, and plantar warts can all be classified as common warts. However, common warts can just refer to the typical warts you get around your hands and fingers and nail beds.

They do not usually cause much, if any pain. Common warts tend to be more of a nuisance and embarrassment than they are a source of pain.

Common warts tend to look about the same. They are rough and bumpy with a dome-like shape, and close to your natural skin ton. Sometimes they can be white or tan, though. As seed warts can fall under the category of common warts, they can sometimes have a dark center to them. Thankfully, a singular wart does not usually get huge, though there are some exceptions. Common warts rarely can be found by themselves, but are rather a cluster. This cluster can form the appearance of one large wart.

Facial or Filiform Warts

Facial warts are also known as filiform warts, and can be used interchangeably. As is obvious by its name, facial warts affect individuals' faces. Usually they form around the eyes and the eyelids, around and on lips, and on the neck.

Typically facial warts are not painful, but they can grow sore if they are touched frequently. Even though it is tempting to pick at something different on your face, it is wise to leave the filiform warts alone to prevent any annoyance, or even potential spreading. Males often have facial warts in their beard, which can be painful if they are shaving frequently.

Facial, or filiform warts, are usually the color of your skin tone, and they are long and narrow, as opposed to the small rounded bumps which usually characterize warts.

Flat warts often form on children's and occasionally young adults' faces. Sometimes flat warts are also called facial warts. Unlike the long and narrow shape, though, they are barely raised and flat on top. They are usually the color of your skin, as well.

Flat Warts

As with facial warts, flat warts live up to their name. They are usually very small and only slightly raised, with a flat top to them. Flat warts tend to be either flesh colored or white, and are as obnoxiously noticeable as many other types of warts are. However, because they show up in places which are easily visible on the body, they can be annoying and embarrassing for those who have them.

Flat warts are most common on the back of hands and on fingers, on the neck and face, and on legs and arms. Flat warts are particularly common on legs in females and the beard area with males, due to the frequent shaving which these areas get. Warts can be spread by shaving; consequently they are harder to get rid of on these areas for men and women. Facial flat warts are most common in children between the ages of twelve and sixteen. They are very rare in adults.

Usually, flat warts are not painful, unless they are in an area which gets constant friction or frequently touched. They are typically fast-spreading warts, and they can sometimes bleed.

Periungual Warts

Periungual warts grow around the tender bases of both your fingernails and toenails. They can also progress up the sides of your nails, as well as grow under your nail. Periungual warts can cause pain, especially if they get under your nail.

Periungual warts can be found individually or in clusters together. They are rather sneaky warts, as they can begin extremely flat and barely noticeable. Only when they start to get bigger can you notice them. As soon as you do, it is wise to get treatment to make sure they do not affect your nails.

When they get under your nail, the size of the wart causes the nail to be pushed upwards. If nothing is done to treat them, the nail can eventually even crack and pull away from the nail bed. This can lead to infection, often paronychia. Your nail could be deformed for the rest if your life. Cuticle damage can also result.

Plantar Warts

Plantar warts grow on the soles of feet and can be quite painful, even to the point that walking is very difficult. They can grow anywhere on bottom of your foot, but the most common are on pressure points, such as the ball and heel.

Unlike other warts, they sometimes grow inward instead of outward, due to the fact that they grow on pressure points. The constant push against the wart attempting to grow pushes it inward rather than outward. The wart then grows under a callus, a hard, thick layer of skin.

The virus which causes plantar warts can enter your feet through cuts on your feet, as well as the deep cracks that can occur due to dry skin. The virus can also enter if your feet have been in water for a long period of time. The skin is then tender and extra fragile.

Seed Warts

Warts which appear on your hands or feet are often referred to as seed warts. This odd term comes from the fact that the warts sometimes have dark spots in them, giving them the appearance of seeds. This happens with the blood vessels inside the warts have popped, leaving a tiny area of dark blood behind. Seed warts typically do not cause any pain, but they are ugly and can cause the person suffering from them to have great embarrassment.

While all of the above warts are contagious, they are not necessarily extremely easy to catch. Just because you brush up against someone who has a wart, or if you handle a book they touched does not always mean you will end up with a wart, as well. We are constantly surrounded my millions of different viruses, but we do not always get sick. The same is true with warts.

Individuals with weakened immune systems are more likely to get warts than those who are healthy and have active immune systems. Your body is constantly fighting off diseases, but if it weakened due such issues as a recent illness or an organ transplant or HIV, your body is not able to work as it should. In such cases it is easy for viruses to take over your body, and it's no exception with HPV. If you know you are more susceptible to warts, it would be wise then to avoid direct or indirect contact with individuals who have warts.

If you do get a wart, your first thoughts most likely revolve around finding wart treatments to get rid of your wart as soon as possible. In most cases, warts will disappear on their own, without any wart remedies needed. However, this process could take up to four years in adults. And most individuals do not want to wait around that long to have it happen.

It is difficult to heal warts completely due to their nature as a virus, and a very stubborn virus at that. There are numerous ways to attempt to get rid of warts, though. Options range from very basic home remedies to over-the-counter medications to surgeries to remove the warts. Even after a wart has gone away through these treatments for warts, that is not a sure sign that HPV is gone for good. Years afterwards, warts can still resurface. However, it never hurts to try to get rid of your warts. With all the different wart removal options available, you may come across one which works perfectly for you.

One thing to keep in mind with any wart treatment is to remember that most warts are extremely tenacious and even good treatments can take a few weeks to work. Being patient and consistent with your wart removal treatments is the best way to conquer them.

Home remedies can range anywhere from wrapping the wart in duct tape to rubbing potatoes and onions on the wart. Usually they are items you can find stocked away in your kitchen or out in your garden, making them easy and cheap resources to get your hands on. Especially in the case of home cures, what may work for one person is definitely no guarantee it will work for very many others.

Over-the-counter medications usually have a salicylic acid base. Whether it's in liquid form or on pads or in wraps or plasters, the main idea is to eat away at the wart until it has fallen away. You can also get creams and lotions which are said to help warts disappear.

Making a doctor's appointment could easily be your first or your last resort. It should definitely be your first if you are experiencing any pain or discomfort, or if the warts are on your face. Never attempt an over-the-counter or home remedy on your face without first consulting your doctor. If you have tried various attempts and the wart will not go away, has multiplied, or is growing worse, you should see your doctor. Medical treatments, such as cryotherapy or laser surgery may be needed to attack the root of the wart.

One of the best methods when dealing with warts, though, is to practice prevention. This includes practicing good hygiene. Regularly wash your hands and feet, and change your socks daily. Wear shoes when out in public, and wear shower shoes when using the gym locker room. Keep your nails clipped and do not pick at or bite your nails or hangnails. Because warts like open sores to break out in, keep irritations and any preventable sores to a minimum. Keep your immune system working well by eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising frequently.

None of the preventative measures or treatments is guaranteed to keep warts from appearing, or to cure them when they do come. In fact, no true cure for warts exists. The main hope is to limit the warts as much as possible and hope that the body's immune system can kick in to take over the smaller amount of HPV which is left. In any case, getting a wart does not mean your life is ending. Talk to your doctor about possible treatment options, whether you administer them yourself or you go into the doctor's office. And practice good preventative measures to hopefully keep any warts from breaking out in the first place.