by Rosemari Trites

Created on: January 21, 2009

Understanding what to do with a wart can be a little daunting since there are more than one type. Although, doing nothing, may be the wrong approach. Warts are basically infections caused by HPV. They are highly contagious, can be unsightly, and sometimes painful. Some require treatment and some do not, I will give you an overview of some of these and the basic consensus of how to proceed with treatment.

Plantar warts, which are the ones on the bottom of the foot can make normal activities very difficult because of the pain associated with them. The usual course of action is to file down using an emery board or use a cushioned pad available at the pharmacy to alleviate the pain from walking or other activity. Normally, the pain from this type will disappear on its own within a few days, without treatment. Should it persist or spread, it should be treated.

Most warts do go away on their own without leaving behind marks or scars. This usually takes about 3-6 months on average. Some of the treatments used to get rid of them may cause irritation or scarring at the sight, therefore, before proceeding with a treatment, seek a doctor's advise. Please do consider that warts are sensitive and may bleed if you bump into things, and again, they are highly contagious. To do nothing, could cause a wart to spread or pass on to a family member.

Children can develop warts, therefore, it is always a concern to parents whether or not to treat or leave alone. The most common over the counter treatments contain salicylic acid. These are available as patches or liquid. You would need to consider the age of the child before use as you definitely do not want this ingested.

Freezing is another method of treatment. Your doctor will use liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart. This procedure can take place right in the doctor's office without a lot of hassle. It normally takes more than one treatment, and up to 4, for this method to completely remove the wart, but this treatment does not leave scarring. It is also relatively painless.

There are other treatments available such as burning or cutting the wart off which also takes place at the doctor's office. These treatments are used when others have failed. These are more dramatic and therefore can leave a scar. Therefore, the pros and cons definitely need to be weighed in these instances where the wart is in a visible area of the body such as on the face or hands.

Genital warts must be treated. The virus that causes this type of warts can increase the chances of cervical cancer in women. Men and women who have been exposed to or developed genital warts should be under the care of a qualified doctor.

Warts can be embarrassing when we consider all the childhood misnomers about them. You cannot get warts from touching a toad or kissing a frog! But because of their sensitivity and the high probability of passing them on, they should be treated. Always seek the advise of a pediatrician when dealing with children and be aware of the side effects of a treatment before proceeding.

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