Warts
Warts are common problems that have likely been around since the dawn of man. It is estimated that warts affect many millions of individuals. Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma virus, or HPV, of which there are numerous subtypes that cause a variety of warts. Warts are potentially contagious, spreading to other body areas on a person or to other individuals. Warts may spontaneously resolve, but they may persist in individuals for years while increasing in numbers and possibly spreading to other individuals or family members. There is no single, certain remedy or cure for warts.
The most commonly utilized methods to treat warts are destructive in nature and include applying liquid nitrogen, acids, or blistering agents to regularly remove wart tissue. Persistent removal of wart tissue every few weeks is critical to achieve resolution of a wart. Warts located on the hands and feet on average require 5 to 7 serial treatments every few weeks.
Persistence is absolutely critical in getting rid of warts. After wart treatment some discomfort is inevitable as tissue is destroyed and often a blister results. We generally avoid more painful techniques of wart removal in younger children. Cantharone, a blistering agent, causes minimal discomfort and is often used repetitively for younger individuals. Additional methods are used for individuals who have many warts where destructive means are poorly tolerated or prohibitive due to the sheer number of warts. Tagamet, or Cimetidine, is often used successfully in these individuals, but in much higher doses than typically used to treat stomach problems. For very refractory warts there are additional measures that can be undertaken. These can be considered and discussed as the need arises.
