Kissed Any Frogs Today?

Chances are you or your kids have had a wart. They most often occur in children and young adults. There appears to be a blind spot in our otherwise effective immune system, allowing the wart virus to thrive unchallenged. Al types of warts are caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus. This virus invades the skin cell and uses its machinery to create millions of copies of itself, causing an overgrowth of tissue. They usually occur in areas prone to trauma, like the fingers, hands, elbows and knees. Some warts can disappear as quickly as they come, because the immune system suddenly recognizes the virus, and quickly eradicates it. A child can scratch a wart, get some of the skin under the nails, and pass them on to a sibling or playmate.

Common warts are the most common type of wart. This wart grows out from the skin, and can be passed by person-to-person contact. They can be extremely difficult to remove if they occur around the fingernails. Plantar warts are found on the plantar surface, or bottom, of the foot. These warts grow down into the skin, rather than out of the skin like common warts. The wart is usually much larger than the spot you can see. They can be very painful when they form over pressure points and can make walking a difficult and painful affair. It should be kept in mind that any wart may return after apparently successful treatment. This happens because the wart virus may be hiding in normal appearing tissue.

There are many treatments for warts. They range from folk remedies such as potatoes at midnight and silver nickels, to high-tech lasers. The most common remedies are over-the-counter wart removers using some form of salicylic acid. These work by daily removing a layer of skin from the wart. It is a war of attrition, and can be effective on small warts if done properly and consistently; it can, however, take a long time.

Next in line are destructive methods used by the dermatologist. Liquid nitrogen is a very cold spray that also works by attrition, killing the skin by causing a blister to form, healing with new skin. It does sting quite a bit and may make small children wary and afraid of further treatment. It also usually takes several treatments to remove the wart. Cantherone, a medicine derived from the Japanese blister beetle, looks like Mom's nail polish and is applied with a Q-tip. It causes a blister to form at each site a couple of hours later, destroying the wart. This treatment is very effective for most warts, and is painless for kids. Larger warts are usually treated using a method called curettage and desiccation. This involves removing the wart by separating it from normal tissue and cauterizing the base with an electric needle. The site is numbed first with local anesthetic. Any treatment will leave some form of scar or lasting mark.

When warts have been found to be stubbornly recurrent, other therapies may be used. Bleomycin, an anti-cancer agent, has been used for many years as a treatment for troublesome warts. The pulsed dye laser is magnetized to the blood vessels feeding the wart. When the food supply is cut off, the wart dies. CO2 lasers can also be effective. Tagamet, an oral medicine used for stomach ulcers, and Aldara, a medicine used for genital warts, have both been shown to be effective in the treatment of recurrent multiple warts. They work by jump-starting the immune system.

Whatever the method, warts should be treated. The chances are good that your kids' warts won't disappear any time soon. Little kids should be treated as painlessly as possible, so they won't be scared to return to the dermatologist for more treatment. Warts are a difficult and long-standing problem; fortunately, there are many therapies up to the challenge. If you have questions about this topic or any other dermatologic concern, you can call Dr. Resnik at (305)692-8998.

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