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75% of people have had a wart problem at least once in their life. They can make life difficult for months and then suddenly disappear within a few days. It is worth knowing how to treat them effectively.
Kurzajki is a colloquial term for one of many types warts caused by human papillomavirus infection (HPV, for Human Papilloma Virus). They most often appear on the hands and feet, although they can also be transferred to the face or torso. Initially, they do not hurt and are almost invisible blisters, and they do not differ in color from the rest of the skin.
In the first stage of development, warts are usually noticed at random and often mistaken for tiny prints or a foreign body.
How can you get infected with warts?
Over time, the virus attacks neighboring cells and the wart begins to grow, reaching up to 2-3 cm in diameter. The color may turn darker and the surface may look like cauliflower. If the lesion is on the sole of the foot, the constant pressure of the wart starts to cause pain and inflammation, making it difficult to walk.
Kurzajki occur in 75% of people, especially children, adolescents, the elderly and those with impaired immunity; however, they can also attack healthy middle-aged people. Avoiding contamination is really difficult because young warts are almost invisible and can be passed on by touch very easily. So we can catch the virus, for example by shaking hands with a person who has a wart on his hand. The virus is also transmitted indirectly through objects that an infected person has come into contact with. So it is easy to get infected, among others walking around the pool without flip-flops, borrowing shoes from an infected person or using the services of a pedicurist who does not sterilize tools.
Wart treatment methods
Unlike many other viral diseases, a cure does not provide permanent immunity because there are many strains of the virus. Kurzajki can therefore persistently convert. A single wart lives for 2-3 years. It often disappears after this time, but may spread or spread to other areas before it dies. For this reason, warts, even inconspicuous ones, need to be treated.
Kurzajki differ in resistance to treatment depending on the strain of virus that caused the infection. So it happens that they disappear on their own after a few weeks or months, because the body “notices” the infected cells, and then the immune system fights them off. However, this mechanism does not always work, because the areas where warts are located are not very well supplied with blood. The immune cells can therefore overlook the intruder. It also happens that despite aggressive treatment, the wart constantly grows back and spreads. It is then advisable to take a break of several weeks and then restart the treatment. Our immune system will recognize the virus more easily over time and help us remove it.
Check: Coagulation (thermolysis) – what is it, what is its use in cosmetology and medicine?
Pharmacy means for warts
In pharmacies, we can buy various preparations to combat warts. They differ in the way they work, some are available only by prescription.
- Brodacid – a preparation in the form of a varnish applied with a stick. It contains lactic and salicylic acid (keratolytic agents) and dimethylsulfoxide, which increases the penetration of acids into the epidermis. Under the influence of this preparation, the wart turns white and then falls off. This measure should only be applied to the lesion as it also acts on healthy cells.
- Verrumal (prescription only) – a gel applied with a brush to the wart. As it dries, it forms a thin crust. Contains fluorouracil (a compound with a cytostatic effect) and lactic acid.
- Duofilm – an alternative to Brodacid; contains lactic acid and salicylic acid.
- Wartner – preparation for freezing at home. A disposable sponge tip is applied to the applicator and soaked with liquid nitrogen stored under pressure in a deodorant-like container. Then, the frozen tip of the applicator is stuck to the wart for several seconds. A bubble (sometimes invisible) forms at the site of freezing and falls off over time. After 2 weeks, the procedure can be repeated if necessary.
- Aldara Cream (Prescription Only) – Stimulates the immune system to fight the wart. The advantage is that it is non-corrosive and does not affect healthy skin.
Supportively, you can also take preparations that stimulate the immune system: homeopathic granules Thuja occidenatlis or herbal tablets Esberitox N (prescription), as well as capsules containing fish oil or omega-3 acid.
In recent years, you can also benefit from home wart treatment with cryotherapy. At Medonet Market you can buy, for example, Help4Skin warts and warts – aerosol.
The treatment time varies from a few to several weeks – it all depends on the size of the wart and the systematic application of the preparations.
Treatments in the office for warts
If over-the-counter medications fail, warts can be removed at a dermatologist’s office. Several methods are used here, such as:
- Cryotherapy – freezing with liquid nitrogen. After the procedure, a blister filled with serum forms, which hurts and makes it difficult to walk. For this reason, the warts are not frozen on both feet at the same time. In the case of large, old warts, the procedure needs to be repeated several times.
- Electrocoagulation – wart removal with electricity. The morning takes about 7 days to heal and leaves scars.
- In the case of lesions resistant to non-surgical procedures, curettage can also be performed, i.e. mechanical removal of the warts with a surgical tool or evaporation with a CO2 laser. These procedures are usually performed under local anesthesia. Before starting them, it is advisable to soften the nipples with special ointments or a waterproof plaster.
The cost of this type of treatment in private clinics varies greatly. Depending on the number of changes necessary to remove and the type of surgery, it ranges from several dozen to several hundred zlotys.
Home remedies for warts
Simple home methods are also used to remove warts. They include, among others Rivanol compresses, lemon peel dressings soaked overnight in vinegar or rubbing the wart with a cut garlic clove. However, it is difficult to talk about their effectiveness, hence dermatologists do not recommend them.
However, a proven and recognized method is rubbing the wart with the juice from the celandine stem. It contains a natural cytostatics. This plant can be found on the edges of forests, in meadows, gardens and along roads. The wart is smeared twice a day with yellow-orange juice flowing from the broken stem until the lesion disappears or falls off. Under the influence of light, the juice turns black and leaves stains on the hands. Also, be careful that it does not get into the eye.
Text: Izabela Zdolińska, Let’s live longer
Consultation: lek. med. Aleksandra Zaremba, dermatologist