Current:Home > FinanceWarts can be stubborn to treat. Here's how to get rid of them. -Infinite Edge Capital
Warts can be stubborn to treat. Here's how to get rid of them.
View
Date:2025-04-14 02:41:58
Warts are usually harmless, but they can certainly be an eyesore. Over time, warts usually go away by themselves. However, if you do choose to seek treatment, we’ve got you covered.
Depending on the type and severity of the wart, treatment will vary, says Dr. Brittney Schultz, MD, a dermatologist with M Health Fairview and the University of Minnesota Medical School. Treatment can be adjusted according to “what the wart looks like, where it's located, and then the person’s own immune response,” she says.
Warts are caused by an exposure to the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are “over 100 types of the HPV virus,” Schultz says. Wart-causing strains of HPV can spread from skin-to-skin contact (including sexual contact) and touching shared surfaces. It’s also possible to spread warts from one part of your body to another, she adds.
What is the main cause of warts?
HPV is a highly contagious virus. Depending on the strain, HPV may cause warts on different parts of the body, she says. For example, some strains will cause warts that will manifest on the hands and feet, while infection to others may trigger the formation of warts on the genitals. There are also strains of HPV that do not cause warts at all. According to Cleveland Clinic and Healthline, types of warts include:
- Common warts
- Plantar warts
- Genital warts
- Mosaic warts
- Flat warts
- Butcher’s warts
- Filiform warts
- Focal epithelial hyperplasia (Heck’s disease)
- Periungual warts
Can I remove my own warts?
“If you do nothing to a wart, it should eventually go away,” Schultz says. However, this could take years.
Warts can be difficult to treat, Schultz says, because the HPV virus is good at “living under the surface of the skin and kind of avoiding detection from your immune system.” Because of this, the treatments that are used to get rid of warts are “geared toward irritating your skin” and “activating your immune system,” she explains.
Over the counter anti-wart products that contain salicylic acid work to dissolve the wart layer by layer. They can be applied in the form of a patch, liquid or gel, according to Cleveland Clinic. These products can be an effective solution to treat warts, Schultz says. However, if this is the sole treatment for your wart, you’ll likely be using it for months, or even “potentially years, to help the wart go away.”
How to get rid of warts
If you are experiencing symptoms of pain, your wart is spreading, or your wart is not responding to over the counter methods, consider seeking treatment from a doctor.
There isn’t a “one size fits all approach” to treating warts, Schultz says. “Some people will respond beautifully to some of these treatments,” but “some warts will be much more difficult” to treat.
The most common in-office treatment for warts is cryotherapy, Schultz explains. During this procedure, the wart is sprayed with liquid nitrogen, causing a local destruction of the skin tissue around the wart. To accelerate the healing of the wart, Schultz recommends a combination of cryotherapy treatment and using salicylic acid products.
More:Here's what a tumor actually is and why they're a lot more common than many people realize
Injections of candida antigen and bleomycin have also shown positive results when treating warts, studies suggest. There is also some evidence that points to lasers as an effective wart removal treatment.
As for prescription topical creams, Aldara (imiquimod) is commonly used to treat genital warts, Schultz says.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Sen. Bob Menendez convicted in bribery trial; New Jersey Democrat found guilty of accepting gold bars and cash
- Caitlin Clark's next game: Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings on Wednesday
- Minnesota’s ban on gun carry permits for young adults is unconstitutional, appeals court rules
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Tribes and Environmentalists Press Arizona and Federal Officials to Stop Uranium Mining Near the Grand Canyon
- John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash 25 years ago today. Here's a look at what happened on July 16, 1999.
- Green Bay father, daughter found dead after running out of water on hike: How to stay safe
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- More than 2 dozen human skeletons dating back more than 1,000 years found in hotel garden
Ranking
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Caitlin Clark's next game: Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings on Wednesday
- Joe Jellybean Bryant, Philadelphia basketball great and father of Kobe, dies at 69
- These Headphones Deals from Amazon Prime Day 2024 will be Music to Your Ears
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- What is 'Hillbilly Elegy' about? All about JD Vance's book amid VP pick.
- Oregon award-winning chef Naomi Pomeroy drowns in river accident
- Unveiling the Zenith Asset Investment Education Foundation: Empowering Investors for Financial Mastery
Recommendation
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Jurickson Profar of San Diego Padres has taken road less traveled to first All-Star Game
See Alix Earle's Sister Ashtin Earle Keep the Party Going With John Summit in Las Vegas
In Alabama’s Bald Eagle Territory, Residents Say an Unexpected Mining Operation Emerged as Independence Day Unfolded
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Sniper took picture of Trump rally shooter, saw him use rangefinder before assassination attempt, source says
Prime Day 2024 Travel Deals: Jet-Set and Save Big with Amazon's Best Offers, Featuring Samsonite & More
These Are the Best Amazon Prime Day 2024 Essentials That Influencers Can’t Live Without