Warts are benign skin infection growth that appears when the virus infects the top layer of the skin. The virus enters through the cuts or breaks due to injuries onto the skin, residing in the form of warts. The virus that causeswartsis called human papillomavirus (HPV) which is easily contagious. It can spread by the contact of a wart or something that has touched the wart. Since each person’s immune system response to the virus is different, not each person who comes in contact with the virus would develop the wart. Warts can be rough and skin-colored or dark-colored with smooth skin. The treatments and procedures are many and can be performed at wart removal in Sydney.
How to prevent it from spreading?
-Do not pick or scratch warts or touch someone else’s warts.
-Wash your hands after touching wart and even otherwise make it a habit to wash frequently.
-Wear flip flops in public showers and pool areas.
-Keep warts on your feet dry as moisture tends to allow warts to spread.
-Make sure that the equipment used in salons are sterilized before getting your manicure and pedicure done.
-Avoid shaving over a wart because usually when you shave, you create micro-tears over the skin. Similarly, shaving over a wart creates micro-tears, which can spread the virus that causes warts from the wart that you have shaved.
Types of warts:
. Common warts – They are small, and rough bumps in the skin or greyish color. Usually, they pop up on hands and fingers.
. Flat warts – They are small but smooth. They appear in the form of clusters on the face, legs or back of the hand.
. Plantar warts -They are hard and flat, that appear on the sole or the heel of the foot. They are also painful due to the weight of the body. Mostly they are mistaken by the corn.
. Periungual and subungual warts – They usually appear between the fingers and around nails. It is common in people who bite their nails.
If warts left untreated, sometimes warts will go away on its own and it may take a few years. However, it is better to get them removed if they are painful and in order to avoid passing them on to others. Here are five ways to get rid of them:
1. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy or freezing is the treatment where clinicians spray liquid nitrogen onto the wart and its surrounding area. It literally burns the skin due to the extremely low temperature of the gas at -321 F. It causes pain, redness and sometimes a blister. It usually takes three to four rounds of treatment once every 2-3 weeks. According to some of the trials, the success rate of cryotherapy is 50% to 70%, showing the fact that it is effective for hand warts. After the healing, you can apply salicylic acid to encourage further cure and enable the skin to peel off.
2. Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is the main ingredient of aspirin. This should be the first choice in your treatment to get rid of warts. It is a topical treatment that is applied directly onto the skin. Salicylic acid has minimal side effects, costs little and is available in over the counter preparations. It is available in liquid, gel and patches form and in different concentrations. To treat your wart with salicylic acid, soak your feet in water for 10 to 15 minutes at least, then scrub the wart with emery or pumice stone. After scrubbing you have to apply salicylic acid. Repeat it once or twice a week. You can continue for several days even after the wart is gone as it may help to prevent it from recurrence.
3. Duct tape
This low risk and low-cost treatment is worth a try. Though there is not much of the evidence, but according to one study, the findings are quite satisfactory as compared to the cryotherapy. Subjects wore the duct tape patches over their warts, for 6 days. Later the patches are removed which were soaked and filed the warts, leaving them open overnight and then the duct tape is reapplied for another 6 days. This whole process is repeated for at least two months or until your wart is completely gone. Duct tape therapy is comparatively 45% more effective than cryotherapy. However, how this therapy works has no clear evidence but it is assumed that probably the wart is deprived of oxygen or you are removing the dead skin and viral particles with duct tape which is sticky.It doesn’t actually work with normal tapes because it has a different kind of adhesive than the transparent or masking tapes. It is a home remedy that has been tried before and many people have come up to the conclusion that it really works.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has acidic content that can naturally burn the wart and destroy its growth from the roots. You just need to soak a cotton ball into 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, place it over your wart, wrap it up with a bandage and leave it overnight. Repeating the same procedure for a few nights will facilitate you to get rid of the wart after almost five days.
5. Electrosurgery
Electrosurgery, also known as burning, is a suitable treatment for warts. It is a special type of surgery where the dermatologist performs it with the help of electromagnetic waves. Curettage involves a procedure where the wart is scraped off with a sharp knife or a small spoon-shaped tool. These two procedures are used together.
Conclusion
It is all about hygiene factors, as proper hygiene prevents you from lots of contagious diseases. Warts are harmless yet painful bumpy liaisons that can be treated clinically and through some home remedies. You should be vigilant while selecting any of the above-given ways to get rid of warts and follow them religiously in order to achieve the best results.
