Chalk helps another wart sufferer

Q: I want to thank you for listing different remedies for warts. I’ve tried freezing compounds, bleach, tea tree oil, cider vinegar, duct tape, iodine, and fingernail polish. Nothing worked. After reading your column about chalk, I decided to give home remedies one more try. This time it worked!

I’m convinced different remedies work for different people. Thank you again for listing the many different remedies so we can find which one works for us.

A: Common warts (which typically appear on the hands) can be unsightly and embarrassing but generally, aren’t a health concern. Removal can often be achieved with relative ease, but the lesions can recur frequently.
[Read more…]

Warts may disappear with beetle juice

DEAR DR. GOTT: My son gets warts on his hands. His physician uses beetle juice treatments to kill the warts. We have had great success with it. It is a blistering liquid that is applied in the office and is much less painful than freezing. It burns a bit when the blisters begin to form but is much less invasive than surgery. It’s worth a try, especially with younger children.

DEAR READER: Warts are skin growths caused by infection from the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are several different forms, with the type being determined essentially by where it appears on the body and what it looks like. My guess is that your son has common warts (vurruca vulgaris) that often present on the fingers, backs of the hands, around nails, and even under the nose.
[Read more…]

Allergy injections cured patient’s warts

DEAR DR. GOTT: I read the story in the newspaper about the person who got an infection and sunscreen helped her. I also have a story that is also weird.

My daughter suffers from allergies which are severe. She is allergic to almost everything and has been since the age of 4. At 12, I had her allergies tested and they were off the chart. She tested positive for all weeds, most trees, grass, animals, etc. (the list is long). She had been hospitalized for allergy-induced asthma attacks before which caused her to be on prednisone at times.

At about 16, she started to get plantar warts on her feet and they spread like wildfire because of the prednisone; even when not on it, they spread. By the time she started allergy shots, she had had two minors surgeries on one foot for the warts, [Read more…]

Cataracts, yellowing hair and a wart remedy

DEAR DR. GOTT: You recently published an article about cataracts. A reader noted Longevity Science’s Visual Ocuity eyedrops and stated that it worked for her so that she didn’t have to have cataract surgery. She stated that she found an online company that sold the eyedrops. Could you tell me the specific name of the company she used? When I searched the Web, eight pages came up with numerous companies selling the product. I would feel more comfortable using the website she used because she is happy with the results. Thank you.

DEAR READER: You are not the only person to ask; however, the reader did not mention what website she used. I was able to find that the drops are associated with Klabin Marketing and a related website, but couldn’t find the eyedrops listed.
[Read more…]

Seed warts caused by HPV

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have read about plantar warts that your readers have. Well, I have seed warts almost over my complete back, and they have spread to other parts of my body. My grandfather also had them on his back. My back itches badly all the time. Are they inherited? Is there anything that will help me get rid of them? I have shown them to my dermatologist, and he said he could freeze them off but that was about all he could do. What do you think?

DEAR READER: Seed warts are simply common warts with black dots that originate from the blood vessels that surround them. They commonly appear on the face, fingers, soles of the feet and backs of the hands. They are contagious and caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) that enters the skin through a simple cut or crack. Latent infection can also occur in people who harbor HPV without skin trauma.
[Read more…]

Warts revisited

DEAR DR. GOTT: How do you remove a family of plantar warts off the bottom of a big toe? My 10-year-old daughter has had them for a couple of years (shortly after starting gymnastics). There are about six or eight on her big toe right where it joins her foot. Please help!

DEAR READER: Since my last column about plantar warts, I have received many letters about various treatments. Many of the readers claim that over-the-counter and physician treatments offered limited success, with the warts either returning or never completely disappearing. Many also complained of the pain associated with these treatments, which is why they turned to alternative and home remedies.
[Read more…]

Plantar warts difficult to remove

DEAR DR. GOTT: I recently read your column about the person suffering from plantar warts. My son had a number these (large and small) a few years ago. I took him to a dermatologist, who looked at his foot and told us to use over-the-counter Duofilm. He said to apply the product twice a day, and every three days either scrape or pumice the wart and start the process over again. A month later, I took my son back, and the doctor declared the process was working and to keep at it. He then proceeded to charge us $80 for the five-minute visit. The doctor didn’t even do anything! I would like to say — save your money, folks, and do the removal yourself.

DEAR READER: Unfortunately, this situation is becoming more and more common. As you saw in my last column and in the above letter, many readers are frequently dissatisfied with the care they get from a doctor for common and plantar warts, not to mention how painful some of the procedures can be.
[Read more…]

Plantar-wart remedies sought

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am seeing a dermatologist for plantar warts on the tops and bottoms of my feet. He is using a combination of acid and freezing. This is painful, and I have difficulties walking, even two weeks after treatments that are every three weeks. Is there anything else I can do?

DEAR READER: Plantar warts are benign growths caused by the human papillomavirus (of which there are more than 100 types), which enters the body through cuts or breaks in the skin. These lesions present as small, hard bumps and are most commonly found on pressure points on the heels or balls of the feet.
[Read more…]

Yet another use for vinegar

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have three new uses for vinegar that I am sure you have not heard of before. I enjoy your common-sense approach to medicine and thought that you would enjoy these.
First, for years, I suffered from the itching and pain of psoriasis. I used every over-the-counter cream and lotion I could find, but nothing helped. On a whim, I started rubbing the affected areas (my arms, legs and hands) with distilled white vinegar. It hurts like the dickens for a few seconds, but it clears up the scaly patches. I now use it regularly to clear up spots as they appear.
Second, I had warts under my eyes that I couldn’t get rid of. I carefully applied it with a cotton swab. In a few days, the warts came off. [Read more…]