health

Healthcare providers can diagnose a wart by its appearance. If individuals
have a wart, they should see a professional who can examine the
wart, determine exactly what is growing on the skin, and recommend the
best treatment. In the case of genital warts, a doctor may also screen a
woman for cervical cancer by performing a pelvic exam*, including a Pap
smear*. In some cases, warts eventually disappear without any treatment.
However, if a person has several warts or if the warts are painful or seem
to be spreading, several possible treatments exist.
Over-the-counter medicines containing salicylic (sah-lih-SIH-lik) acid
can remove common warts. Depending on the particular brand of medicine,
the person may be able to paint it on or may be able to use a stick-on
patch that attaches directly to the wart. These over-the-counter medicines
can take longer than other treatments do, but they are painless. People who
have diabetes* or other conditions that affect the circulatory system should
first consult with a doctor before using these over-the-counter medicines.
Another typical treatment for common warts and also for plantar warts
is cryotherapy, or freezing. In cryotherapy, a medical professional freezes
the wart with a special chemical. Afterward, a scab develops as the skin
heals. Plantar warts can be difficult to treat, however, because most of the
wart is located beneath the surface of the skin. Medical professionals may
use electrosurgery to burn plantar warts—and also sometimes common
warts—with a tool that uses an electric current. Sometimes, a doctor will
recommend an acid-containing chemical peel to treat flat warts, which
grow in such large bunches that the other types of treatments usually are
not efficient. These chemicals, which are applied to the skin, eventually
peel away the warts. Doctors also may use laser treatment to destroy any
type of wart that proves difficult to remove. In some cases, doctors may
use a cream called imiquimod, which is applied to the site of the wart and
stimulates the body’s immune system to fight the HPV.
Genital warts require treatment from a doctor. To remove them, doctors
may use cryotherapy, lasers, medicines that can be applied directly
to the warts, or surgery. If a woman has had genital warts, doctors may
advise her to have Pap smears more often. In some cases, certain types of
HPV infection can lead to cancer of the cervix, and a Pap smear allows the
doctor to find and treat the disease in its early stages.