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Warts IN Burbank, CA
What are Warts?
Warts happen when skin cells grow faster than normal since they are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). About 150 types of HPV exist, and about ten types cause cutaneous or skin warts. Warts include common plantar and flat warts. In addition, certain other types of HPV cause anal and genital warts.
We all come into contact with HPV daily when we touch doorknobs or shake hands, and only some of you develop warts. Those with immune system abnormalities are vulnerable to warts. You may also find those in the meat, fish, and poultry industry susceptible to warts. The most likely explanation is that some people get warts and others do not.
A typical wart has a raised, rough surface. The center may be flecked with dark dots, which are the capillaries supplying the wart with blood. Warts are usually harmless and can disappear on their own over time, but they are unsightly and some, like those on the bottoms of your feet, make walking painful.
Wart removal is a challenge, but effective treatments may work. Warts are not highly contagious, but they spread from person to person through contact and skin breaks. You can also pick up warts from locker room floors or showers. Warts on the part of your body can be spread to other areas, so wash your hands and anywhere else that touches your warts.
A wart virus infection is different from a bacterial infection and has no predictable pattern. The wart virus lives in the upper layer of your skin, and who knows where you picked it up? Just be careful; when a wart goes away, you will still find the virus in the epidermis.
How do you treat warts?
About half of all warts go away on their own within a year and two-thirds within two years. Waiting is an option for warts, but some medical experts recommend immediate treatment to reduce the virus that can creep into tissues.
Here are several treatment options
Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is an ingredient in aspirin and should be your first choice. Salicylic acid is the only topical treatment that may work. Salicylic acid is inexpensive, has minimal side effects, and comes in over-the-counter preparations. Concentrations come in 17% to 40% but only use the strong form on thick skin. Soak your wart for about 10 to 15 minutes, file away the dead skin, and apply salicylic acid. Do this for about 12 weeks daily.
Freezing
Duct tape
This low-risk approach may be worth a try. Wear duct tape patches on your warts for six days. Then, remove the patches, soak, file warts, and leave them uncovered at night. Reapply the tape in the morning, leaving it on for another six days. This regimen works if you follow it for about two months.
Other therapies
There are prescription drugs like a topical immunotherapy drug called Aldara (imiquimod). Imiquimod causes an allergic response and irritation of the site of the wart. You may also have the medication injected into the wart. You can also use chemotherapy drugs applied as a cream or bleomycin injected into the wart.