Q: I have a wart on my left thumb knuckle that I have had professionally burned and cut off twice. I now have a scar where the original wart was but there are more warts starting around the same area. The doctor who cut the original wart off multiple times instructed me to take olive leaf extract to help prevent the recurrence. I have tried EVERYTHING and have spent close to $1,000 on the problem. I have tried every over-the-counter medicine, duct tape, banana peels, and even put bleach on a Q-tip and placed it on my warts. Please help me.
A: A wart is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, for which there are over 100 types. There are many forms of warts, including plantar, flat, common, periungual, mosaic, and filliform. Plantar warts appear on the bottom of feet, while flat warts in large numbers may present on the face, legs and other parts of the body. Common warts generally appear on the backs of fingers, toes and knees and are dome-shaped in appearance. Periungual warts can be difficulty to treat. They appear around or under the nails of fingers or toes. Lastly, filliform warts resemble a long stalk and are found on the face. Mosaic warts a/k/a seed warts present by the hundreds on the soles of the feet. They are generally painless and while very difficult to treat successfully, an effort to eradicate them should be attempted.
Treatment for common warts (which I believe are what you have) generally includes over-the-counter products that contain salicylic acid or aerosols that “freeze” them. Salicylic acid preparations can be purchased as plasters, gels, pads or drops. OTC aerosols freeze warts at minus 70 F, while the liquid nitrogen used by most dermatologists is substantially colder at minus 320 F. Either treatment is considered safe to use but salicylic acid isn’t recommended for diabetics, on the face or groin.
Warts can appear and disappear without reason or treatment. Some sprout what are called “daughters” in the area of the main wart, while others don’t. They are generally painless, but unattractive. Treatment may take weeks or substantially longer before they disappear. When home methods or over-the-counter solutions fail to provide satisfactory results, laser surgery or other procedures can be incorporated.
Diagnosis is made through the location of the wart(s) and their appearance. When a health care provider remains uncertain as to the type, a skin scraping sent to a local hospital or laboratory may be in order. A more invasive method of obtaining a deep core sample of the wart may be done through a punch biopsy. Remember that even if warts disappear, they may ultimately return or spread to other parts of the body. As such, I would be more comfortable if you were to make an appointment with a dermatologist who can examine your lesions and dismiss them as harmless or perform testing if they appear suspicious in nature.
On the home front, warts will disappear in up to 70% of all cases with or without medication; however, the process may take up to three years. Visit that dermatologist. Be assured the warts are harmless. If so, there are several home remedies such as placing the fleshy part of a banana peel over the wart, or placing duct tape or waterproof adhesive tape over the wart for a week, removing it for 12 hours, followed by another seven days of adhesive covering. The tape appears to be effective because it is airtight and the area under the tape won’t allow the virus to reproduce. If salicylic acid is used, the wart should first be soaked in warm water for up to 10 minutes and then filed down with an emery board or pared with a razor. Be sure to use a disposable unit that can be thrown away to prevent reinfection. If preferred, cryotherapy products can be used, be sure to follow packaging directions. Remember, most treatments will destroy the wart itself but will not cure the real culprit – the virus that caused it in the first place.
