Warts what are they and how do we treat them?

Warts are caused by, the Human Papilloma virus (HPV): Usually the virus enters the skin through a small cut or scrape. It is common for this to occur in wet environments such as showers at a gym or a pool area.

Sweaty feet can also make you more prone to this type of skin infection.

A plantar wart simply means that it is on the bottom of the foot. They are difficult to cure, as it is a virus. Sometimes they can spontaneously go away on their own but if present after 4 months or so then they will need some help to resolve them.

Treatment in kids is easier than adults. It is contagious to a small degree so it is important to get rid of them so you do not spread them to other people.

How does Dr. Bregman treat them? We tried to do the least painful option especially in children but sometimes we need to create a little pain to get rid of them.

A myth is that the acids we use to treat the warts kill or destroy them but this is not accurate. The topicals are used to create an immune reaction to the HPV and then your body will make the proper antibodies and the warts will disappear.

Warts can be single areas or multiple and even in big clusters called Mosaic warts.

This will help determine how they are treated.

Treatment Options are:

Topicals- Compound W or Duofilm or anything that has 40% Salicylic acid. Stronger acids are used by Dr. Bregman in the office. First the wart will be shaved to get some bleeding and then a strong acid is applied and covered. Oral medication- Tagament or Cimetidine is a drug for acid reflux but is used frequently off label to help treat the warts by activation of immune response. It is given in pill form as the liquid does not work as well. It is given in much higher doses than used for acid reflux but perfectly safe. Usually take up to 3-4 months or less if the warts go away.

Surgical removal- This involves numbing the area(s) with local anesthesia and then cutting the wart out. This does require some special after care like any surgical wound it is about 85% effective.

Tips in warts: Keep the feet dry, avoid excessive sweating ( medicine can be prescribed ) Try Zeasorb powder 

When using topical OTC cover the treatment area with Duct tape to provide better efficacy and keep the area as dry as possible. You want to create an immune reaction, which makes the area red and irritated! If it does not look like this you are not doing it correctly.

Last resort- Panacos graft procedure- we take the wart and place a piece of it into the opposite foot through a small incision, which does require anesthesia and a few stitches. Then in a few weeks to months the wart resolves over 90% of the time.