Warts are unpleasant but Dr Jinan Harith Darwish explains that there’s really little to worry about and time’s the best healer.
Warts or verrucas are caused by viruses in the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. These are incredibly common and can be effortlessly passed between people. They can also spread around the body. For reasons that are not entirely clear, children seem to develop warts more often than adults. This is NOT a sign of a problem with the immune system. You can lessen the spread of warts by discouraging picking, biting or scratching. In fact the ones who can do the most to prevent warts are those who actually have them; when warts are covered, they are far less likely to spread.
Pools and the showers have typically been associated with warts, but a recent study suggests they’ve been getting a bad rap without good reason – kids are much more likely to pick up warts from family members and school friends. Since they can be caught effortlessly, it’s a good idea to wear pool shoes or flip-flops as a substitute of going barefoot at the pool or other places where people walk around without shoes. Warts grow really slowly, so it can be hard to figure out where you got them from.
What parents most want to know is how to make warts go away quickly. That’s tough because warts don’t go away quickly! Parents need to remember patience is key. Essentially, patience single-handedly can, on occasion, do the trick; for the most part warts will go away by themselves, if given adequate time.
But if you wish to hurry them along, there are some things you can do:
• Salicylic acid is the most common treatment, and it’s widely available without a prescription. Rub the wart gently with a nail file before using the medication or, alternatively, soak it in warm water.
It still can take weeks or months for the warts to go away.
• Warts don’t like being frozen, and this can help get rid of them a bit sooner, but not quickly. There are freezing treatments you can buy over the counter, and they are indeed worth a shot, but for more effective freezing treatments you’ll need to take your child to your dermatologist.
• If you stick colourful duct tape over the wart, and replace it every few days, it may assist by taking off the top layer of the wart. By covering it, you can also help prevent the spread.
There are additional treatments such as cantharadin that can be done in a doctor’s office. And, in rare cases, sometimes we even perform surgery to remove warts. If a wart isn’t going away, or if you aren’t completely sure that what you are dealing with is a wart, make sure to take your child to your doctor.
Hand washing habitually is always good in the prevention of all sorts of infections, not just warts. The HPV vaccine can help prevent genital warts, but it doesn’t prevent all warts.
Bottom line: warts aren’t dangerous, you can’t really prevent them – and they will go away in their own time.
