How are warts treated? | Afrilatest.be

Warts are benign skin growths: they are not dangerous and do not cause illness. In most cases, they eventually disappear after a few months because the body builds up antibodies to destroy the wart itself. It is often not necessary to treat a wart. This also applies to genital warts. Moreover, warts often return after treatment. The sooner a wart is treated, the greater the risk that new warts will appear around the removed wart.

Sometimes warts do not disappear spontaneously. They can also be aesthetically disturbing or painful (especially plantar warts). In that case, treatment may be necessary. The aim of the treatment is to completely destroy the wart so that no trace of the virus remains.

Also read: How do you get warts?

Freezing with liquid nitrogen

The doctor can freeze the wart with ice-cold liquid nitrogen. This is the most commonly used treatment today. This technique is also used for genital warts. Often the treatment has to be repeated several times with an interval of a few weeks.

Between treatments, the doctor may recommend applying a hydrophobic salicylic acid-based ointment to the wart daily, which will help the top layer of the wart to come off more quickly. The ointment should be applied to the wart once a day, preferably in the evening.

This technique generally does not cause scarring. The skin may temporarily discolour, but this will disappear spontaneously. For children, this can be very painful. This method is usually not used for warts near the nails, because liquid nitrogen can permanently damage the cuticle.

Also read: Cryotherapy: freezing warts

Salicylic acid based spot-on solution or ointment

Salicylic acid based liquid or ointment (such as Aporil or Duofilm) should only be used on the wart as it can damage healthy skin and cause irritation, burning or crusting. Read the package leaflet carefully before use.

• Before applying the product, soak the affected skin in lukewarm water for a few minutes and dry thoroughly.
• Cover the skin around the wart(s) with Vaseline or a plaster with a hole in the middle to protect the skin.
• Apply a few drops to the wart daily, preferably in the evening, using the brush provided.
• Then cover the wart with a band-aid.
• Remove dead skin cells a few times a week with a pumice stone or file. Do not use them for other parts of the skin afterwards.

It may take several weeks to months for the wart to disappear. Use these products for a maximum of 12 weeks, and never on the face, mucous membranes or genital warts, or near wounds. Avoid contact with the eyes and mouth (e.g. via the hands); in case of contact rinse immediately with water.

Other products

These treatments are only applied by a doctor.

• Verrutop is an effective treatment for warts. This product contains nitric acid. After application, the wart may change color from white to yellow and become warm. This burning sensation disappears after half an hour. The treated area should not get wet for six to eight hours and is therefore covered with a bandage. After that, you should disinfect the wart twice a day with alcohol and scrub (pumice stone). From the second week, you should apply Aporil every evening.
• Cantharone contains a substance that causes a blister to form on the wart that has been touched. If the blister is too much of a nuisance, you can pierce it in a sterile manner. Afterwards, disinfect it and cover it with a plaster. When the blister dries, a scab will form that will fall off by itself. Often, multiple treatments with Cantharone are necessary to remove the warts.
• Bleomycin: If a wart does not respond to freezing or other treatment, the dermatologist can inject it with bleomycin. This is a form of chemotherapy: the drug kills the cells. After a few days, a bruise appears in the wart and then a crust forms. After a few days, blood appears in the wart and a crust forms. This treatment is very effective, but quite strong and painful. It is intended for adults and never for pregnant women or young children.

Also read: How can you prevent warts?

Electrically burning

Electrocution is an aggressive but effective way to remove warts. Sometimes a local anesthetic is injected to reduce pain during the procedure. This technique is also sometimes used on genital warts. However, it often causes permanent scarring, especially on the soles of the feet.

Also read: What types of warts are there?

Cut away

Also read: Brown spots: should you worry about age spots?

Laser treatment

Laser treatment is generally used to remove plantar warts (verrucas). It involves projecting a very powerful beam of light to destroy the lesion. This is an expensive and painful technique and the results are no better than with gel.

Also read: How can you prevent warts?

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