Just like acne and pimples, warts are annoying and ugly to look at. They can appear anywhere on the skin, from the hands and feet to even between the toes. Though most of them are harmless, others might be sore and painful. Warts that keep growing in size are a cause for concern. Some warts disappear on their own without any intervention or pain.
Basically, a wart is a growth of skin at a certain site of the body, brought on by a viral skin infection. Warts are round, flat, irregularly shaped, soft, hard, bulbous or discoloured in appearance.
Why did I develop a wart?
Warts appear on the skin when the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) already present on the skin increases exponentially in proportion. The increase may be attributed to many factors, from lack of skin hygiene to stress, and from sexual transmission of the HPV to accidental transmission via using the clothes or towel of an infected person. Most HPVs are quite harmless, but some can cause infections.
If you have recently developed a wart, it could be because the HPV has caused keratin to build up at the particular spot in the epidermis. In response, the skin produces a hard lump of skin known as a ‘wart’. It happens most commonly on skin whose immunity has been compromised (due to stress, illness, use of antibiotics, for example), or a localised injury at the site.
The type of wart you have – flat, rounded, tapering at the top, hard, soft, etc. – depends on the strain of HPV and its proportion on the skin.
How do I get rid of it?
If you have recently developed a wart, or have had one or more for a few weeks or months, there is really no cause for worry. Unless the wart is tender or painful to the touch, or appears red and is oozing a clear liquid or blood, the wart can either sit on the skin till it goes away (or stays permanently) or be removed by a doctor.
- There are some good wart removal treatments being used in Dubai’s leading skin care clinics. Wart removal entails removing the wart and the underlying scar tissue such that there is no discolouration or pitting at the site post-removal. The scar tissue is more painful than the wart itself, and it can trigger localised infections and pain. Most traditional wart removal techniques involve cutting away the wart using a scalpel.
- However, modern techniques for wart removal in Dubai entail using radiofrequency to blast high energy waves of low temperature into the wart. This cauterizes the wart, and it is then removed by ‘burning’ with an electric probe. The wart is removed completely when the burnt skin sheds on its own in about a week.
- This method of wart removal is aesthetically better, apart from showing higher efficiency and accuracy. Several warts can be treated in one sitting as well.
Is there a natural way to remove the wart?
Some warts appear on the skin and disappear or ‘settle’ on their own. However, most others might need to be surgically removed.
There are some homemade remedies for ‘drying’ out the wart and removing it, but these may take time and may not work equally well for all. They entail applying a drying solution consisting of substances like lemon juice, turmeric and neem leaf paste.
Warts with a narrow base and broad top can be removed by cutting off blood circulation to them. Simply twine a slim thread or a strand of hair around the base of the wart slightly tightly. Keep tightening the pressure every day till the wart turns dark and falls off. Use a healing salve at the site to prevent discolouration and infection.
The best way to deal with warts
Maintaining good skin hygiene and avoiding using another person’s clothing or personal effects can help keep warts away. Avoid shaking hands, or using another person’s hand or face towel. If you have been using a communal swimming pool or gym, take a shower with antibacterial soap at the first opportunity. Showering twice a day with antibacterial soap and washing your bath and bed linen every week should keep you safe.