Warts (verrucae) are benign skin tumors that develop from the upper layer of the skin, the so-called epidermis. They are usually roundish with a clear boundary and can be easily palpated. The cause for the formation of warts is an infection with HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), which is transmitted by smear infections, for example when touching a door handle or walking barefoot in a swimming pool.
After skin contact, the virus penetrates the uppermost layer of the skin (epidermis) via tiny injuries and cracks and thus infects the skin. After infection, there are often no symptoms at all, so the patient does not notice the wart until it is visible or palpable. In addition to the common warts, there are also types of warts that cause symptoms.
Thorn warts cause pain when walking, especially on the sole of the foot, and genital warts cause itching. Despite the absence of symptoms, the affected patients want to get rid of warts quickly, mainly for aesthetic reasons. The diagnosis should first be confirmed by a dermatologist. This looks at the wart through a microscope (dermatoscope) or in rare cases takes a tissue sample (biopsy). Once the diagnosis has been made, there are a variety of options or drugs to treat the wart (drugs for warts).
Remove warts
The most common method of removing a wart is treatment with salicylic acid, sometimes in combination with lactic acid. The salicylic acid solution is applied either as a tincture with a small brush or as a plaster. Salicylic acid softens the horny layer of the skin and thus also fights deeper warts.
If the treatment is carried out regularly over several weeks, almost every wart can be removed. Corresponding preparations are also available without prescription in pharmacies. Prescription drugs against warts such as the virus-inhibiting Fluoruracil must be prescribed by a doctor.
Another way to get rid of warts is to freeze them (cryotherapy). Icing is usually carried out by a dermatologist, but in the meantime there are also iced warts for home use. By applying liquid nitrogen to the wart, the horny layers as well as the wart tissue are destroyed and the wart falls off by itself after a few treatments.
Besides these non-invasive methods, there are also possibilities to remove the warts surgically. Scrapings (curettage) are performed by the doctor. The wart is scraped from the skin with a sharp “spoon”.
This procedure is used especially in cases of severe infestation, for example with genital warts. If it concerns conventional warts such as thorny warts, the removal is usually done with a scalpel. After the wart has been removed, the wound can either be sutured or closed with an electric current, the so-called electrocoagulation.
