Warts

A wart is a skin growth caused by a viral infection, which usually enters the body through a cut or an abrasion on the skin. Warts are generally harmless, though in most cases they are unsightly and painful.

A wart can appear anywhere on the skin, with the most common places being the hands and feet. If a wart is not taken care of in a timely manner, they can spread and contaminate other areas of the body, and even other people that you come into contact with. The way warts typically spread is by touching, scratching, or if it bleeds for any reason.

Although there is no way of prevention that is 100% effective, there are a couple of ways that you can help protect yourself from having a potential problem.

• Avoid walking around barefoot in dirty areas - especially in moist, warm places, i.e. public pools, shower rooms, public bathing areas
• Change socks and shoes daily
• Keep your feet clean and dry

While it is true that not everyone is susceptible to getting warts, prevention is the best method to employ, especially with young children and teenagers, as they are usually more susceptible to getting an infection than adults are.

If you suspect that you have a wart, you should see a doctor immediately, to prevent further outbreak. There are a number of treatments that doctors can employ for wart removal, some of which include:

• Cryotherapy (freezing the wart off with liquid nitrogen)\
• Cauterization (burning the wart off)
• Surgical Removal
• CO2 laser (mostly used for multiple planter warts)
• Medicinal creams or oils

Talk to your doctor to see which method would be the best for treating your wart problem.