Professional Treatment of Skin Irregularities
For an appointment with Dr. Sommers please call 636-978-8600
Warts
Common and
treatable
What causes warts?
Warts are a type of infection caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. There are more
than 100 types of HPV viruses. Warts can grow on all parts of your body. They
can grow on your skin, on the inside of your mouth, on your genitals and on your
rectal area. Some types of HPV tend to cause warts on the skin, while other HPV
types tend to cause warts on the genitals and rectal area. Some people are more
naturally resistant to the HPV viruses and don't seem to get warts as easily as
other people.
Can warts be passed from one person to another person?
Yes. Warts on the skin may be passed to another person when that
person touches the warts. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or
other objects that were used by a person who has warts.
Will warts go away on their own?
Often warts disappear on their own, although it may take many
months, or even years, for the warts to go away. But some warts won't go away on
their own. Doctors don't know why some warts disappear and others don't.
Do warts need to be treated?
Generally, yes. Warts are often bothersome. They can bleed and
cause pain when they're bumped. They can also be embarrassing, for example, if
they grow on your face. Treatment may decrease the chance that the warts will be
spread to other areas of your body or to other people.
How are warts on the skin removed?
There are many treatments for warts. The treatment depends
on the age of the patient, the the number of warts, and the location. What
all of these treatments have in common is the attempt to alert the body's immune
system to these infected cells. It is the body recognizing the infection
which is what really makes the warts go away. Unforunately there is no
100% successful way for removing warts. The treatment is rarely completed
with one visit (although this may be the case). It is unpredictable.
- Applying liquid nitrogen-- This is the most common way warts are treated. This treatment is also called cryotherapy. Applying liquid nitrogen to the wart causes a little discomfort. It is not typically used in children under 7. This treatment usually is repeated every 2-3 weeks until the wart disappears.To completely remove a wart, liquid nitrogen treatments may be needed every 1 to 3 weeks for a total of 2 to 4 times. If no improvement is noted, your doctor may recommend another type of treatment.
- Applying chemicals--There are a number of types of special medicines which can be 'painted' on a wart to help get rid of them. This is typically a painless application, but as the body starts to attack the medicine, it can be mildly uncomfortable but typically just itchy. This may require multiple treatments.
- Injecting the wart--One of the newer treatments is a very tiny injection into the wart of a medicine that has been used for years to 'check' the immune system. It is a bit of killed yeast (which we are exposed to daily) is injected into the wart. Your body is trained to respond to this yeast, and a red bump appears at the site of the wart. Your body, when attacking the yeast, figures out the wart is infected and destroy it.
- Other treatments for warts on the skin--YThere are other treatments which are less common including surgically cutting the wart out or burning it after numbing it up with small injection, but this is typically reserved for warts that have failed other more conservative methods.
How are warts in the genital area treated?
It's important to recognize that while warts in the genital area
can be removed, there is no cure for the viral infection that causes
them. It is believed that there is less potential for spread of
the virus to other areas of the same person and to sexual partners by treating
them, but this should not be mistaken for a cure.
- Applying liquid nitrogen--Warts on the genitals may be frozen with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy). We may have to apply the liquid nitrogen at a number of different office visits until the warts are completely gone.
- Chemical treatments--As described above, special medicines can be applied to the warts to make them go away
- Surgical excision --With this method the wart is immediately gone which may be important for cosmetic and functional reasons, but the infected area needs to still be treated for likely recurrences.