LIEFSTYLE NEWS - Although warts are generally not dangerous, they are ugly, potentially embarrassing, contagious, and they can be painful.
There are more than 100 types of human papillomavirus (HPV ) - the virus that causes warts. Almost all types of HPV cause relatively harmless warts that appear on your hands or feet. However, there are a few strains of HPV that cause warts on your genitals. In women, these warts can cause cervical cancer. If you think you have genital warts or believe you have been exposed to them, you should see a doctor right away.
There are five types of warts. Each type appears on a different part of the body and has a distinct appearance. Plantar warts and periungual (under and around a nail) warts cause the most discomfort.
- You have warts on your face or another sensitive part of your body
- You notice bleeding or signs of infection, such as pus or scabbing, around a wart
- The wart is painful
- The colour of the wart changes
- You have warts and diabetes or an immune deficiency, such as HIV/Aids
You can spread warts to other parts of your body, and they are contagious to others. If a treatment requires that you rub the wart with a fingernail file or a pumice stone, do not use that utensil on any other part of your body, and do not allow anyone else to use it.
If your wart does not respond well to at-home treatments, your doctor may be able to help. Remember, always see your doctor if you have diabetes and have warts on your feet.
Your doctor may freeze your wart with liquid nitrogen. This can be a bit painful but usually works well. More than one treatment may be required. Freezing causes a blister to form under and around your wart. This lifts the wart away from the skin within about a week.
Surgery is usually only considered if a wart has not responded to other treatments. Your doctor can cut away your wart with a surgical knife or burn it with electricity. You'll need to receive a shot of anaesthetic first, and these shots can be painful.
Complications of warts include the spread of warts to other parts of your body and scarring after removal.
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