Warts - Getting Rid of Warts

Getting rid of warts when you have one, can become a bit of a priority because warts, although not life threatening are a real nuisance. I say that because for the sufferer they can cause embarrassment by their appearance, but the real pain is in keeping them under control, as they are highly contagious and spread very easily not only to other people, but also to other parts of your own body. Now there are several ways that you can get rid of warts, here we will look at a few so that you can decide which course of treatment is right for you.

How warts occur is the HPV (the Human Papilloma virus) attacks the cap of the skin, and causes warts to develop. All in all, there are broadly 4 wart types. The wart virus loves warm, moist places usually around small cuts or scratches on your hands or feet. HPV is a tiny virus particle which infects the skin. There are over 80 strains of HPV, which produce warts of all different shapes and sizes. HPV affects more people in the US each year than HIV - aids. It is estimated that about 5 million new people become infected with the virus every year, and this number is growing rapidly! HPV is highly contagious and spreads through any kind of skin contact with an infected person. Symptoms of HPV can present at any time, but often the first outbreak occurs between three weeks to three months after contamination.

Wart removal techniques include burning and freezing. These techniques must typically be performed by a physician in a clinical setting. One thing to bear in mind is that nowadays wart removal will not be covered by most health insurance as it is considered a cosmetic therapy. Wart removal by clinical treatment is not the best. This may be a bold statement but as you read on, you will realize why this is so.

Electrocautery (e-lek-tro-kaw-ter-e) is a way to remove a wart using heat from electricity. The electricity is used to heat the needle which is put on the wart. Electrodesiccation with curettage and/or laser surgery is effective and indicated for isolated lesions but may cause scarring. Recurrent or new warts occur in about 35% of patients within 1 yr, so methods that scar should be avoided as much as possible. Electrocautery (removal by heat) or cryotherapy (by freezing) is the modern methods of wart removal. The latest in the scene is Laser, in which high intensity light beam is used to destroy the tissue.

Laser therapy wart removal uses a high powered laser beam to burn off the warts, at the same time it also seals the blood vessels to reduce any bleeding that might occur. The laser technology treatment has actually been based on the treatment for laser hair removal and is growing in popularity, although it is not a cheap treatment to undertake.

Other kinds of treatment involve the restriction of scratching, use of moisturizing lotions or creams, cold compresses and nonprescription anti-inflammatory corticosteroid creams and ointments. If this proves insufficient, physicians may prescribe corticosteroid medication, antibiotics to combat infection, or sedative antihistamines. Treatment for these warts can require multiple visits to a physician's office. Up until now, previous over-the-counter wart remedies could not deliver a combined therapy to treat large, stubborn warts.

If all of this sounds too painful, then there are more and more natural remedies coming on to the market. However the problem with some of the natural remedies is that it is hard to work out what is fact and what is old wives tales. But if you do not fancy being treated by laser, electricity or being cauterized or frozen then I would definitely look into natural or herbal remedies as a way of getting rid of warts.