Removing warts - is it necessary to do it? How to properly remove a wart?

04/26/2018 I was prompted to write this article by an overwhelming number of questions like: “Can I remove warts at home using various solutions?”

Today I will do a short review of wart removal products and together we will try to figure out how safe and effective such methods are. We will also look at what evidence of effectiveness there is for certain substances.

Flat wart on index finger

What are the most common warts?

Most often (up to 70% of all cases), patients report warts that bother them, and the majority of patients are school-age children. Warts are also found in 20% of students. Plantar warts are more common in adults (34% of cases), as opposed to flat warts, which are again more common in children (4% of all warts).

An experienced dermatologist can easily determine the type of wart during a consultation. However, in rare cases, especially if the wart is injured, it is difficult to diagnose it only by examination, and then the doctor can perform a biopsy of the derivative and histological examination.

What does it look like?

Warts are small, dry, flesh-colored lumps. They have a rough surface and are sometimes painful. On the hands, this can lead to a pronounced cosmetic defect.

When warts appear on the feet, severe pain appears, making it difficult to walk. Another type of wart, genital warts, develops on the genitals. This can make intimate relationships difficult. It is important to note that in women, condylomas of this localization can be caused by strains of the virus that increase the risk of cervical cancer.

Such situations require immediate treatment.

Can warts cause complications?

Warts usually do not cause complications unless they grow, become painful when walking, and cause psychological discomfort for aesthetic reasons. In rare cases, injuries can spread to adjacent areas.

Patients with a significant defect in the immune system (for example, immunodeficiency of various origins) retain the theoretical possibility of malignant formation of a simple wart, although this does not occur in everyday practice. This is in contrast to genital warts, which can also be caused by oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Thus, to avoid the complications listed above, radical removal of warts is recommended in all cases.

Where do plantar warts come from?

HPV enters the body from the outside. Pathogens love moist environments. You can become infected by wearing someone else's shoes, neglecting the rules of hygiene in pedicure salons, baths, saunas or swimming pools. A virus suppressed by the immune system may not manifest itself for years. But in a weakened body, viral particles begin to divide very quickly. The propagation of plantar strains is facilitated by:

• increased sweating of the feet;
• uncomfortable tight shoes;
• microcracks in the skin;
• fungal infections of the feet;
• circulatory disorders due to joint deformation: arthritis, arthrosis, flat feet.

Within the epidermis, the virus first infects the basal layer. Then it provokes the proliferation of keratinized particles, forming characteristic hard plaques on the skin.

The main symptom of this form of HPV is severe pain while walking. The roots reaching the lower layer of the dermis constantly injure the nerve endings. Many patients have to give up their usual shoes and use thick, soft insoles to alleviate the pain.

Wart removal

Although scientific literature suggests that with a good immune system, warts can disappear on their own within a few years, medical practice shows the opposite. The main problem with treating warts is that there is currently no method or medicine to remove the virus itself, so a doctor cannot guarantee a 100% cure. All treatment is aimed at removing the wart itself, but does not prevent HPV recurrence.

Basic ways to remove warts:

• Laser;
• Cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen;
• Medicines;
• Removing warts surgically.

Ideally, wart removal should be carried out by an experienced dermatologist, since incorrectly prescribed treatment may not only not help, but also worsen the situation. Warts are treated only by radical removal, which, as already mentioned, can be carried out with a surgical laser, liquid nitrogen or special drugs.

Our center uses any of the above methods for removing warts. In each case, the treatment method is selected individually.

Symptoms and treatment of warts

How to understand that a wart has appeared on the skin? This disease is characterized by certain signs that are worth paying attention to.

Signs:

• A hill or bump on the skin, condylomas have the appearance of a grain on a stalk,
• No pain or itching,
• Most often, the keratinized surface,
• There are black dots on the top of the wart.

You should not self-diagnose and prescribe therapy. This can lead to negative consequences. Treatment of warts must be taken seriously.

The therapy process is carried out at home, medications are prescribed for external and internal use. In addition, you can use folk remedies.

Laser wart removal

The procedure is performed under local anesthesia after the doctor has administered painkillers. Depending on the size of the derivative, laser removal of warts takes up to 15 minutes. After the procedure, a bandage is applied and medications are prescribed to lubricate the wound as it heals.

Laser wart removal

The main advantage of laser wart removal is that just one procedure is enough to make the wart that bothers you disappear forever. In addition, this treatment method is the most common among patients and has the best reviews, since laser warts are removed from:

• faces;
• palms and feet;
• genitals.

Alternative methods: burning and freezing

How to remove a growth if nothing helps? To remove a wart, there are surgical techniques.

At home, you can use the drug Cryopharma for this. The medicine is a spray that is applied to the growth.

The kit includes several applicators, which makes it possible to treat several formations at once.

The advantages of the drug are that it can be used from the age of four, and also that after use there are no scars or damage to the skin..

As a rule, one application is enough to completely remove the unpleasant formation. The medicine Wartner Cryo has similar properties. The cost of both medications is not low, however, they allow you to remove warts forever.

For burning at home, use onion juice, garlic, and vinegar. Apply one drop of the product to the growth, making sure that it does not get on healthy areas of the skin.

You can use Collomac drops. This medication is based on salicylic acid, which gradually softens the upper layer of the formation. It is worth remembering that the use of such a drug is prohibited on mucous membranes. An iodine solution is used for cauterization. Apply pointwise, only to the damaged area.

Solcoderm solution contains acetic acid and helps cope with the disease. However, the high price and discomfort during therapy make this remedy not particularly popular among patients.

If necessary, the removal procedure can be performed in a medical facility.

Removing warts with nitrogen

This is an alternative to laser wart removal. The method is also quite popular, but usually requires several procedures, they are quite painful, and after cryodestruction with liquid nitrogen a painful bubble forms. Therefore, removal of condylomas with liquid nitrogen is recommended only for older children and adults.

Removing warts with nitrogen

Cryodestruction is repeated every 2-3 weeks until the final disappearance of condylomas. Usually 6 sessions of liquid nitrogen treatment are sufficient, but if the wart still persists, other treatment options are considered. In addition, destruction with liquid nitrogen is not suitable in cases where the wart affects the area of ​​the fingers and thighs.

When is it necessary to go to the clinic?

If neoplasms on the skin and mucous membranes begin to itch, hurt, bleed or change, you should immediately seek help from a dermatologist. These signs may indicate malignant degeneration of papilloma.

The doctor will prescribe surgical treatment using laser, electric current or surgical excision followed by histological examination.

The ineffectiveness of treatment with home remedies may also indicate a high oncogenic danger of the papilloma virus. Therefore, if traditional methods do not produce results within the specified time frame, you should not expose yourself to danger and delay a visit to the doctor.

Removing warts with medication

Destroying acids such as salicylic acid, trichloroacetic acid, urea and other special medicines are also wart removers. Any pharmacy offers a fairly wide selection of such drugs.

Salicylic acid, urea softens the top layer of the wart, in addition, stimulates the local immune response, and hence the disappearance of the wart. But when choosing to treat warts with medications, you need to be patient, because even if you use the product in strict accordance with the instructions, the effect becomes noticeable only after a few months.

Removing warts with medication

In addition, constant use of the drug is required according to a special scheme in compliance with certain skin care rules. Sometimes it causes discomfort to the patient and also the medicine has side effects such as skin irritation, redness, etc.

Therefore, many patients make a better decision - see a dermatologist and remove warts in faster and safer ways.

We remove growths at home

It is quite possible to remove warts at home. There are a sufficient number of different methods to help cope with the disease.

Pharmacy medicines

How to quickly get rid of growths? There are many drugs available in pharmacies aimed at removing warts.

DRUGS:

• Viferon. It is considered one of the most effective drugs. It is an ointment that contains interferon. Applied to the seal according to the instructions, it stops its growth and has a depressing effect on the virus. When used correctly, the tumor gradually dies and disappears. It has minimal adsorption, so it can be used in pregnant women and small children.
• Panavir. A popular medicine that helps remove growths from the skin even in a child. Contains interferon and has an antiviral effect. Apply to the formation and the skin around it. Approved for use in pregnant women.
• Aldara. This remedy is considered the best in removing genital warts. Prescribed only by a specialist, cannot be used during pregnancy and lactation.
• Oxolinic ointment. The medicine can remove warts on the legs, arms and even the face. The medication contains safe ingredients; there are no special instructions for application, except that it is better to steam the skin before the procedure. This will help the ointment penetrate better. Copes with genital warts and plantar warts.

These are the most effective ointments for treating the disease. Read more about the list of ointments for warts on our website.

You can often find other medications in pharmacies. Solutions Verrukacid, Ferezol contain ingredients that have a cauterizing effect. This medicine is applied only to the growth to avoid damaging areas of normal skin. Care must be taken when using.

For therapy, a solution of Celandine, sold in pharmacies, is also used. However, you should know that it has nothing to do with the plant. The solution contains caustic alkali. The product is applied directly to the wart using a small pipette.

You can rub various oils into the growth. Castor oil has proven itself best. Warts disappear after about a month of this treatment.

Another effective means of combating neoplasms is the Salipod patch. The medication is used as follows: stick to the growth and leave for a couple of days. After which the patch is removed, the wart is steamed and a layer of skin is removed using pumice. The procedure is completely repeated until the tubercle completely disappears.

Traditional recipes for warts

How to remove a tumor the traditional way? There are many different recipes.

RECIPES:

• Chop one clove of garlic and add the same amount of Vaseline. Mix thoroughly. Apply to the bulge before bed every day, and apply a bandage on top.
• Vinegar is often used to prepare preparations. For example, an ointment made from two tablespoons of flour and the same amount of vinegar is applied carefully to the wart every day, after which the affected area is wrapped with a bandage.
• Another remedy is prepared from onions and vinegar. To do this, pour half an onion with a glass of vinegar. The container should not be metal. After a couple of days of storage in a dark place, the vegetable is taken out and turned into pulp. This remedy can be used for tumors on the foot or toes. It is applied to the affected area and secured with a plaster. Then put on warm socks.
• If plantar warts constantly appear, then you can use horse chestnut foot baths. To do this, leaves, branches, fruits are poured into a bucket, poured with four liters of boiling water and left to infuse for 12 hours. The feet are kept in this solution for twenty minutes, the treatment lasts ten days.

One of the wonderful remedies used at home is celandine. It is necessary to lubricate the growths with the juice of this plant. At the same time, it needs to be collected only at the moment of flowering. We should not forget to be careful and ensure that the juice does not get on healthy skin.

Prevention of warts

It is worth noting that after removal of a wart there is still a chance of becoming infected, since this is a disease of viral origin. Therefore, when treating warts, their prevention is no less important. So what can you do to prevent warts?

• Strengthen the immune system.
• Provide appropriate treatment for other skin conditions (e.g. eczema, hyperhidrosis, etc.).
• Treat concomitant internal diseases (eg, HIV infection, diabetes, kidney disease).
• Wear protective gloves when working with meat, poultry, and fish.
• Do not walk barefoot in swimming pools, saunas, sports clubs, use disinfectants.

To protect against genital warts, it is recommended:

• Use protective equipment (condoms) during sexual intercourse.
• Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

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Birch tar

You can cure a wart in four days by applying a bandage with tar.
The natural product has characteristic medicinal properties. Birch tar in its pure form and tar soap are used to treat inflammatory processes, internal and external diseases. The effect of tar on the papilloma virus stops the further development of bacterial infection, prevents the appearance of new tumors and promotes the removal of old ones.

Recipe for healing medicine against warts:

• drop 2-3 drops of tar onto a cotton swab;
• apply to papilloma;
• secure the tampon with a bandage;
• do not remove for 6-7 hours, longer if possible;
• if the procedure is carried out within 4 days, the tumors will disappear without a trace.

Contraindications to laser treatment

• infections and exacerbation of chronic pathologies;
• diabetes mellitus in the stage of decompensation;
• epilepsy and mental disorders;
• history of oncological pathologies;
• pregnancy and lactation;
• exacerbation of herpes.

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How to remove a wart at home?

Sometimes formations can disappear on their own - this happens in 30% of cases. But you don’t always need to wait for this to happen. Greater attention should be paid to those neoplasms that are susceptible to injury from clothing, underwear, and shoes. You can get rid of a wart yourself, but only if you are completely sure that it is the wart. Many skin rashes are similar, but sometimes a completely different approach to treatment is required.

There are limitations and contraindications to home treatment:

• uncertainty about the correct diagnosis - for this you should consult a doctor;
• history of allergic skin rashes;
• intolerance to the chosen treatment;
• a reverse reaction to therapy - the wart begins to grow quickly and intensely, change color, bleed, itch, and hurt.

Treatment of genital neoplasms of any type and type should be entrusted to a specialist.

Causes of warts on fingers

The initial cause of papillomas on the fingers is infection with a virus (HPV). The causative agent of the disease cannot be completely expelled from the body; it constantly lives in the deep layers of the skin. When the body's protective functions are disrupted, the virus actively multiplies, causing changes in the skin - areas with excessive cell division appear on it.

When figuring out where warts come from, doctors pay attention to the causes that reduce immunity. These include:

• Recent illnesses, as well as exacerbation of chronic diseases.
• Disturbances in daily routine and nutrition, exposure to stress. The preparedness of the immune system depends on your lifestyle. Growths on the fingers appear after nervous experiences, due to spring vitamin deficiency, or with constant lack of sleep.
• Hormonal changes caused by menstruation, pregnancy, menopause in women, and puberty in adolescents.

A viral wart is a signal that symbolizes a poor state of the immune system. If tumors appear on the fingers, measures should be taken. Lifestyle adjustments and timely treatment will get rid of warts and prevent relapse for a long time.