Warts and their treatment can be a tricky business

Tue, Apr 17th 2012, 03:48 PM

Warts are unattractive growths that can appear anywhere on the body; they are not respecters of race, color or creed, and can be painful at times if bothered. There are sayings that if you look at a frog too long or if you kissed a frog a wart would appear; obviously there is no truth to these sayings and, contrary to other beliefs, warts are found growing in the top layer of the skin so there is no root that needs to be removed once the wart is taken off.
A wart usually is a small, skin-colored (white, pink or tan), rough to the touch growth, mostly found on the hands or feet, but can develop on other parts of the body. It can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister in its shape and structure. It sometimes can grow with a dome or flat shape or as a cylindrical column that may be found on the thinner areas of skin such as the face. On thicker skin, the columns fuse, packing tightly together giving the surface a typical mosaic pattern (a pattern consisting of numerous small pieces fitted together), or have multiple black dots that can be seen as blood vessels that have grown rapidly and irregularly into a wart and have thrombosed or clotted off; a viral infection is the cause of this type of wart formation. Because of medical advancement and research, many types of viruses (such as Human Papillomavirus or HPV) have been discovered and are responsible for the manifestation of conditions that many of us are familiar with, such as those involved with the formation of cervical cancers and other more obscure types of wart-related cancers.
There are many varieties of warts, but luckily the more common ones are harmless benign tumors of the epidermis, which is the top layer of the skin. Warts are contagious, spreading by direct contact (skin to skin), and can even be transmitted through showers in public areas. Warts are seen more in young people versus older people. Because each person's auto immune system responds differently to HPV exposure, not everyone who is exposed to HPV will become infected or develop warts.

How it occurs
It occurs because the virus usually enters the body in an area of broken skin where it resides in the bottom layer of the epidermis and replicates into almost normal-looking skin lying in wait to appear at any time. Warts can occur in people of all ages, but occur most commonly in children and young adults. They can resolve spontaneously within weeks or months, but may take years, and can reoccur over months or years. However, persons who have immune-related diseases such as AIDS and lymphoma, or who are taking chemotherapy tend to have more warts that last longer.
Getting rid or warts
Getting rid of warts is no easy task, however, most uncomplicated warts can be treated with simple over-the-counter remedies like salicylic acid and Retinoid (chemicals related to vitamin A) preparations that would require daily application. These substances are designed to allow for gradual peeling of the warts' surface so that over time it eventually peels away and falls off. But keep in mind, once infected you remain infected with recurrent warts. Also, electrodessication in which the wart tissue is removed with the help of an electrically heated sharp needle passed under and over the wart, burns the mass removing it instantly. Treatments that are given aid in getting rid of the wart and any visible infectious state, but the virus will still be present and this is what causes the reoccurrence of the wart unless God performs a miracle.
For more complicated warts that may be cracking, bleeding, enlarging and painful, more advanced treatment may be needed. Such treatment like cryotherapy, which is another effective method but slightly more painful, freezes and kills the effected cells of the wart, but because the surrounding tissue is not destroyed it allows the area to heal without scarring. So typically a blister forms at the treated site which crusts over, and falls off. Other treatments inject antiviral medication into the mass with the same aim, to destroy the infected cells and allow for normal skin to occur. Surgery is hardly used these days and is no longer viewed as adequate therapy.
Warts and their treatment can be a tricky business, so if there is any doubt of what to do and how to treat them, its best to consult a dermatologist.

oDr. Rokeisha Clare-Kleinbussink studied at Cosmetology Cosmetic Training for Dermal Filler in London, UK and attended the Academy of Beauty Training for Laser and Microdermabrasion in Nottinghamshire, UK. She also attended the University of the West Indies School of Medicine and Cardiff University School of Medicine. She has a private practice at Roseona House of General and Cosmetic Dermatology and can be reached at www.roseonahouse.com or 422-2022.

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