Common Warts are actually an infection in the top layer of skin, caused by viruses from human papillomavirus, or HPV family. When the virus invades this outer layer of skin, usually through a tiny scratch, it causes rapid growth of cells on the outer layer of skin – creating the wart. It can be treated by co2 laser, radio frequencey cautery or liquid nitrogen.
Scientists have identified more than 100 unique types of the virus. And most people will have at least one common wart at sometime in their lives, usually on their hands.Certain forms of the virus are more likely to cause skin warts on the hands. Other forms of HPV are more likely to cause genital warts, although some strains of the virus can cause both.
People get warts from other people with warts.The most common way is direct skin-to-skin contact, such as shaking hands with someone who has warts on their hand. You can also get the virus from inanimate objects, like towels that have been used by someone with a wart.”The viruses are more likely to cause warts when they come in contact with skin that is damaged or cut.
Getting a small scrape or biting fingernails. may bring on wart. Similarly, cuts and nicks from shaving can provide an avenue for infection. This explains why men may have warts in the beard area, while women often have them appear on the legs.
Since everyone encounters the viruses that cause warts, why do some people get skin warts while others do not? Doctors aren’t sure, but they believe that certain individuals have immune systems that are more able to fight off the viruses and prevent warts from growing.
WHAT TO DO FOR PREVENTING GETTING WART INFECTION
Avoid coming into contact with the virus:
- Be sure you WASH YOUR HANDS thoroughly and regularly.
- If you work out at a gym, make sure that you clean equipment before use with a clean towel.
- Protect yourself in the gym locker room and shower by wearing rubber flip-flops or sandals.
keep your skin as cut- and nick-free as possible.
Try to keep skin healthy and moisturized to avoid having open cuts or fissures in the skin, which would provide a portal for the virus to get into the skin.
If you suffer from skin warts on your fingers and you’re prone to biting your fingernails or pulling on hangnails, it’s in your best interest to quit the habit. Also, when shaving, be sure to use a sharp razor that won’t tear or cut your skin.
TREATMENT
Most warts clear up without treatment. It can take from a few weeks to several years, depending on the location and number of warts. They usually disappear faster in children.
One third of children are estimated to have warts, but studies have found that 50 % of these disappear within a year, and 70 percent are gone after 2 years.However, if they do not disappear, or if a wart causes concern, medical help is available.
SALICYCLIC ACID
Most over-the-counter creams, gels, paints, and medicated Band-Aids contain salicylic acid.
It is important to protect the skin around the wart before applying this treatment because salicylic acid may destroy healthy skin. Do not apply to the face.
Applying petroleum jelly or a corn plaster to the skin around the wart can protect it from damage.
CRYOTHERAPY
liquid nitrogen, is sprayed OR applied onto the wart, destroying the cells. A blister develops, which eventually scabs and falls off a week or so later.
This treatment must be carried out by a healthcare professional. If the wart is large, this may require a local anesthetic and several sessions.
RADIO FREQUENCY QUATERY FOR EXCISION
RF or Radiofrequency is a highly favoured treatment for removing warts and skin tags. It involves the passage of radio waves into the skin to perform the removal of a lesion. Radiofrequency uses low temperature, high frequency energy radio waves to cauterize warts and skin tags.
RF treatment can cut and coagulate simultaneously without any need for applying pressure. This procedure has gained importance since it is easy to perform. Bleeding is minimal and so is downtime. safe procedure but requires local anaesthetic.
- Immunotherapy attempts to make the patient’s immune system destroy the warts
- Bleomycin, or Blenoxane, can be injected into the wart to kill the virus. Bleomycin is also used for treating some types of cancer.
- Retinoids, derived from vitamin A, disrupt the wart’s skin cell growth.