Treatment Of The More Common Types Of Warts
There are a number of different types of warts, but they are all caused by one of several strains of a virus. This viral infection, or HPV (human papillomavirus) infection, can cause several different types of warts, depending upon which of the strains of the HPV virus is involved. The two most common strains of this virus result in the two most common types of warts, referred to quite simply as common warts.
Most of us are exposed to one or more strains of the HPV virus at one time or another, in fact we usually carry around several strains of this virus in our body most of the time. Usually our immune system keeps the viruses in check. Young children, whose immune systems are not totally developed, an are more apt to experience warts at one time another, usually common warts, and usually only temporarily.
Contagious But Not (Usually) Painful - Warts are benign growths, and are for the most part not painful. The main problem they cause is usually cosmetic, unless one happens to be in an inconvenient place. A wart between the fingers or under a fingernail can cause discomfort, and a wart on the elbow is subject to be knocked off from time to time, in which case it will usually bleed profusely for a short period of time. Unfortunately knocking off a wart doesn't usually solve anything, The wart returns.
Warts get their start when the skin is broken, the virus is present and the immune system is not able to fight the virus off. Since warts are caused by a virus they are contagious. Cleanliness is the best way to keep warts from spreading to another part of your body or to from another person.
One of the types of warts that can be painful is the planar wart. The common types of wards generally appear on the hands and sometimes the feet. Occasionally however a wart will appear on the sole or bottom of the foot. While the wart is not intrinsically painful, the pressure of walking on the foot can make it so. Such a wart is called a planar wart.
Ignore It? - Most types of warts can be cured through the use of home remedies. On old wives tale is, if you ignore a wart it will go away. This is true, but the real truth of the matter is, a wart will go away anyhow after a certain period of time, whether you ignore it or not. Even if the immune system wasn't successful in keeping the wart from forming, it will eventually destroy the virus and the wart will disappear.
Salicylic Acid And Duct Tape - The most common home remedy for removal of various types of warts is salicylic acid, which slowly eats the wart away and destroys the virus. This can be a time consuming process, but the acid is effective. Wart removal products, usually containing salicylic acid can be purchased over the counter. Duct tape is another popular home remedy. There is a substance in the adhesive of the duct tape that triggers the immune system, which in turn begins to eliminate the virus from the body. This also takes time, often several weeks, but is usually quite effective.
If the wart is in a location, such as near the eye, where salicylic acid should not be used, and duct tape would be impractical, it may be necessary to see a doctor or dermatologist to have the wart burned away or frozen.
Whichever of the types of warts you may get, they are almost always more of a nuisance than a danger, unless they bleed, appear to grow, or otherwise take on unnatural characteristics, in which case you should see a doctor, as what you have may not be a true wart.