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How to treat common illnesses
Skin Care Questions
Structure Of The Skin
|What Are Warts?
Warts are non-cancerous (benign) growths on the skin. They tend to appear on the fingers, hands and feet. Warts found in the soles of the feet are called verrucas. Warts are caused by a variety of different viruses that infect the top layer of the skin. They are highly contagious; you can catch warts by touching another person's wart or by touching something that touched a wart. You are more likely to be infected through a cut or damaged area of your skin. This article does not refer to genital warts which require a different type of treatment, see how to treat genital warts.
Do Warts Need Treating?
Unless warts are causing you problems there may be no need to treat them. About 30 percent of warts disappear within 10 weeks of appearing and most are gone within 1 to 2 years without leaving a scar. The younger you are, the more likely a wart is to disappear. Warts in older people tend to be more persistent and last longer.
Medical Treatments For Warts
1. Salicylic Acid
Your doctor can prescribe a salicylic acid treatment - this can come as a lotion, paint or special plaster containing the acid. Usually you need to apply the treatment once a day for up to 3 months. The acid burns the top layer of skin. After a few days you rub off the dead tissue with a nail file and repeat the treatment. Gradually the wart wears away. Studies show that 70 to 80 percent of warts clear within 3 months of using salicylic acid treatments.
2. Freezing Warts Off
A popular treatment for warts is called cryotherapy. This involves freezing the warts off with liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen is applied directly to the wart. It may still take 4 to 6 treatments for the wart to fully clear up. In total, expert to pay about $600 for each wart removed. Comparison studies are mixed on the benefits of cryotherapy over salicylic acid. Some reports suggest cryotherapy gives the same results as salicylic acid other suggest the results are better and faster.
3. Visit A Chiropodist
A chiropodist/podiatrist (foot specialists) can rub down a verruca, enough to ease pain although the verruca may still be visible. For more see, how to treat verrucas.
Home Treatments For Warts
1. Duct Tape
One study showed that covering warts with a strong adhesive tape (like duct tape) helped to speed up the disappearance of the growths. In this study 70 percent of warts cleared up within 2 months of treatment. The treatment involved covering the wart with duct tape for 6 days. If the tape fell off at any time it was instantly replaced. After 6 days the tape was removed and the wart was soaked in warm water for 5 minutes. Next, it was dried and gently rubbed with a nail file or pumice stone. It was left uncovered overnight and the duct tape was reapplied the next day. Treatment continued until the wart disappeared. Although further studies failed to demonstrate the same good results, this treatment may still be worth a try as you are unlikely to do any harm. Stop the treatment if your skin becomes irritated.
2. Oregano Oil
Oregano oil and thyme essential oil are powerful treatments. Rub a few dabs of either oil directly to the wart twice a day. It should disappear within 2 to 3 weeks.
3. Crushed Aspirin
Crush half an aspirin, place it on a plaster and immediately place the plaster over the wart. Change daily. The salicylic acid in the aspirin helps to break down the wart.
4. Garlic Paste
Crush a little bit of garlic and mix to the contents of one vitamin E and one vitamin A capsule (use a pin to burst the capsules to release the contents). Mix with some zinc cream (available in most drugstores). Add directly to the wart and cover with a dressing. If the skin around the wart becomes sore, remove the garlic from the mixture.
5. Bicarbonate Of Soda
Place a little bit of bicarbonate of soda on the palm of your hand. Add a drop or two of water and mix to make a paste. Apply to the wart once a day and cover with a sticky plaster.
The Power Of The Mind
There are many 'magical' methods for curing warts - most do not involve a direct treatment to the wart, yet in many cases, they still provide rapid and permanent healing. One method is to rub the wart with a potato and then bury the potato under a tree on a full moon. Another is the 'sell' the wart to a sister or brother. People have reported 'miracle' cures this ways - stating their wart fell off within a few days. What these cures have in common is belief. The person hopes and believes that the cure will work. (Source: The Science Delusion, by Rupert Sheldrake).
According to Louise Hay, author of Heal Your Body, warts are "little expressions of hate" and a belief in self-ugliness. She recommends repeating a daily affirmation "I am the love and the beauty of Life in full expression".