Warts
Warts are harmless skin growths caused by a virus. Warts can grow on any part
of the body. Their appearance depends on their location. On the face and tops of
the hands, warts are raised. On the soles of the feet the tissue becomes
thickened from the pressure of standing, and the warts (called plantar warts)
are flatter. Walking on plantar warts is often painful. Warts have a rough
surface on which tiny, dark dots can often be seen.
Warts are common and can be a nuisance. They may bleed if injured. Common
warts never turn cancerous. Since warts are caused by a virus, they are
contagious. Warts may spread on the body or to other children. We don't know why
some people get warts while others never get them. There is no way to prevent
warts.
What about common folk remedies?
People have been trying to cure warts for thousands of years. The "success"
of folk remedies for warts is due to the fact that warts often disappear by
themselves, especially in young children. However, the average time to clearance
may be as long as two years. This spontaneous disappearance is less common in
older children and adults.
Treatment of warts
Since we are unable to kill the wart virus, there is no single perfect
treatment of warts. In the past, most treatments were physical means used to
destroy the outer layer of skin that the wart grows on and thus ridding the body
of the wart. This can be done with chemicals, by freezing with liquid nitrogen,
or with laser surgery.
Recently, techniques to stimulate the immune system and clear the warts by
mimicking the way our body naturally clears warts have been introduced. An oral
medication that stimulates the immune system has been used for warts that are
multiple and difficult to resolve. Another immune stimulant is applied at home
directly to the wart. The treatment to be used on your child's wart depends on
its location and size, your type of skin and the judgement of the
dermatologist.
Sometimes, new warts form while existing ones are being destroyed. All we can
do is treat the new warts when they become large enough to be seen. No matter
what treatment is used, warts occasionally fail to disappear. Warts may return
weeks or months after an apparent cure. Don't be concerned if a wart recurs;
call to make an appointment for further therapy. The treatment may be repeated,
or a different method may be used to get rid of them.