How to Get Rid of Warts
Having wart problems? Although warts are mostly harmless, they can be unsightly and bothersome for most people, especially when it appears on exposed areas of your body. Warts are also known to be contagious, so it may have some impact on your social life as well. In this article, we will be discussing different ways on how to get rid of warts and we will help you understand how you can overcome this nuisance.
Identifying Warts
Warts are small, fleshy bumps that can appear anywhere on the skin. These suddenly generate when you are infected by human papillomavirus or HPV. The virus enters through cuts or other openings on your skin. You may also acquire it by touching the lesion using bare hands.
Once infected by HPV, it causes the top layer of your skin to produce skin cells at a fast rate, which eventually forming warts. As mentioned earlier, warts are contagious to other people and may spread to other parts of your body.
Besides common warts, other classifications of warts such as genital warts are caused by at least 40 types out of 100 identified HPV types. Genital warts are transmitted via direct contact to the mucosa, a lining that covers internal organs of the body (vaginal mucosa, oral mucosa), of the infected person.
It is important to understand that even though they may have the same appearance, they do not share the same method of treatment. Therefore, it is best to consult your doctor to properly diagnose your infection.
Treatment Options for Common Warts
In most cases, common warts usually disappear within a few months or years, even if it is left alone. Your body detects that this an infection, therefore it produces antibodies to fight it.
However, if you want to resolve the issue sooner, there are home remedies you can use to get rid of it within a shorter time. You can also choose to have it removed by a professional through a more traditional approach. Here are your options on how to eliminate this unsightly issue.
Home Remedies
Often, people try to find solutions using what is available at home or at the market. These are the popular DIY solutions that claim to remove warts:
- Alicylic acid application: Use this on warts twice a day. This softens the wart and promotes a faster shedding of the infected skin cells. Other alternatives for salicylic acid include apple cider vinegar and castor oil.
- Duct tape: In theory, it deprives the wart with oxygen, thus killing it. However, it is safer to assume that this is an effective way to prevent the virus from spreading further.
- Raw garlic: Rub raw garlic on warts every day. Garlic is a natural antibiotic; therefore, it is believed to kill HPV. Other alternatives for garlic include orange peels and potato juice.
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Here are medicinal options you can buy to use for home remedies:
- At-home cryotherapy: Cryotherapy treatment involves freezing a wart to kill it. Although this is a procedure usually done in a clinic, some home kits would allow you to do this treatment at home.
- Wart removal creams and ointments: There are several over the counter creams and ointments made for warts. Make sure to follow the directions on it and consult your doctor before using them.
Traditional Treatments
These treatments are done in a clinical setup and require a professional to perform the procedure. Here are other options you can explore for wart removal:
- Surgical procedures: You can opt for a traditional removal of your wart through curettage or you can choose to burn warts by using high intensity beams (laser surgery) or electrical currents (electrosurgery).
- Anti-wart medicine: Medicines, such as cantharidin, are highly effective in curing warts. However, these cannot be bought over the counter.
Seeking Medical Advice
Whether you choose to have your wart treated or just let it heal by itself, it is always a good idea to get some professional advice when you notice anything abnormal on your body. Knowing how to get rid of warts properly is important.
Other conditions may look similar to warts but could be an entirely different entity. Often, the occurrence of warts may also indicate an issue with your immune system.
You should visit a doctor for the following scenarios:
- Warts become painful
- Easily spreads to other parts of your body
- Bleeds often
- When it recurs after removal
- When the location of the wart can interfere with your daily function
- When trying out over the counter drugs do not work
- If warts appear on the genital area
- If you want it removed for cosmetic reasons