Warts are benign (noncancerous) growths that can develop on our skin and mucosa (for example inside mouth). The human papillomavirus (HPV) causes warts. There are over 100 subtypes (strains) of HPV, but only a few types can cause warts on certain parts of our body, they are generally harmless, but they can be bothersome and sometimes painful. A person may have just one wart or several in the same area.

What causes warts?

Certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) can enter our skin through small cuts and cause extra/abnormal cell growth. The outer layer of our skin turns thicker and harder, forming a wart. Warts are more likely to infect moist and soft skin or injured skin. The type of HPV that can progress to cancer doesn’t cause warts.

Are warts contagious?

Yes, they (HPV) are contagious. Warts can spread through direct or indirect contact. Direct contact (skin-to-skin contact (towels or razors etc.) could be the cause.

Types of warts

Healthcare providers classify warts based on how they look, the HPV strain (type) that causes them, and/or what parts of our body they affect:

Common warts (Verrucca vulgaris):

Common warts typically appear on our hands. They most often feel like rough bumps and can have black dots (look like seeds). Earlier doctors thought that the black dots are actually smothered and dead capillaries, but they are not capillaries but colonies of virous (HPV). They range from the size of a pinhead to the size of a pea. HPV types 2 and 4 (most common) cause common warts in addition to types 1, 3, 7, 27, 29 and 57.

Plantar warts or Corns:

Planter warts also called “Corns”, typically form on our feet, especially the soles (plantar surface) of our feet. They’re often flat or grow inward and can have black or yellow dots. They can become quite large and cause pain when we stand or walk. HPV types 1, 2, 4, 27 and 57 cause plantar warts. 

Mosaic warts:

They are white and about the size of a pinhead. They typically form on the balls of our feet or under our toes. But they can spread and cover larger areas of our foot. Mosaic warts are flatter than plantar warts, and they only rarely hurt when we walk. HPV type 2 causes mosaic warts.

Flat warts:

These warts can develop anywhere on our body. They’re smaller and smoother than other types and tend to grow in large numbers, like 20 to 100 at a time. HPV types 3, 10 and 28 cause flat warts.

Filiform warts:

Filiform look like long threads that stick out. They often grow on our face — around our mouth, eyes and nose. HPV types 1, 2, 4, 27 and 29 cause filiform warts.

Genital warts:

These types affect our genitals and rectum (anal area). It’s a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that gets passed through skin-to-skin contact. They are small, hard nodules with rough surfaces. HPV types 6 and 11 cause about 90% of genital warts.

Butcher’s warts:

These warts tend to develop on the hands of people who handle raw meat (like butchers) and those whose occupation involves frequent exposure to a cold, moist environment. HPV type 7 causes Butcher’s warts.

Focal epithelial hyperplasia (Heck’s disease):

This is a rare condition in which warts develop inside the mouth (on the mucosa). These warts are generally soft and whiteish to mucosal-colored. HPV types 13 and 32 cause Heck’s disease.

Are warts harmful?

Warts, in general, are benign (noncancerous). But they are not normal that’s why should be treated as soon as possible.

Symptoms and Causes

How are warts diagnosed?

Healthcare providers can typically diagnose warts by looking at the skin growths. In rare cases, your provider may need to do a skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

What is the allopathic treatment for warts?

Warts never go away on their own, they can spread, cause pain and affect our day-to-day life, allopathic treatment options include:

• Over-the-counter (OTC) products: OTC wart removal medications, like salicylic acid. This chemical dissolves warts one layer at a time. These products come in liquid, gel and patch form. Patient may need to apply the medication thrice a day every day for several months to get rid of the wart completely. Salicylic acid for common warts has cure rates of 50% to 70%.
• Medical topical treatments: A liquid mixture containing the chemical cantharidin, after applying a blister form under the wart and cuts off its blood supply. Patient must return to the doctor’s office in about a week so the doctor can remove the dead wart.
• Medical freezing: During a procedure called cryotherapy, doctor applies liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart. Eventually, the wart may peel off. Patient may need several treatments.

Other wart treatments

If the wart hasn’t cleared up with conservative treatments, a doctor may recommend more invasive treatments, for example:

• Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy helps our immune system fight the virus that causes warts. One type of this treatment is using a topical chemical, such as diphencyprone (DCP). DCP causes a mild allergic reaction that may make the wart go away.
• Surgical removal: A doctor may cut out the wart to remove it. This can leave a scar.
• Electrosurgery: This treatment involves burning away the wart tissue using a specially designed heated needle. Scarring is possible.
• Laser treatment: Doctors uses laser light to heat and destroy tiny blood vessels inside the wart. The process cuts off the blood supply, killing the wart. This can also cause scarring.

Homeopathic treatment for warts

What is the Homeopathic treatment for warts?

How can I remove warts?

Natrium Sulphuricum

Tendency to warts. Itching while undressing. Jaundiced, watery blisters. Sycotic excrescences; wart-like red lumps all over body. Fingers and toes affected. Granular lids. Photophobia. Slimy, thick, tenacious, white mucus. Bitter taste, blisters on palate. Swelling of axillary glands. Inflammation around root of nails. Burning in soles; edema of feet; itching between toes.

Mezereum

Post-nasal adenoids. Herpes zoster. Skin.-Sensitiveness to touch.-General desquamation of skin of body; usual liver spots on chest and arms become dark and desquamate.-Red rash, itching violently; < in bed, from touch; burning and change of place after scratching.-Cutaneous ulcers form over bony protuberances.-Ulcers with thick, whitish, yellow scabs, under which thick, yellow pus collects.-Skin covered with elevated white scabs. Itching

Thuja Occidentalis

Acts on skin, blood, gastro-intestinal tract, kidneys, and brain. Its relation to the production of pathological vegetations condylomas, warty excrescences, spongy tumors. Bleeding fungus growths. formation of wart-like excrescences upon mucous and cutaneous surfaces-fig-warts and condylomas. Suppressed gonorrhea, salpingitis. Ill-effects/side effects of vaccination. Chronic otitis; discharge purulent. Creaking when swallowing. Polypi. Tip of tongue very painful. White blisters on side close to root, painfully sore.

Polypi – tubercles, warts epithelioma, naevi, carbuncles; ulcers. Freckles and blotches. Perspiration sweetish, and strong. Dry skin, with brown spots. Zona; herpetic eruptions. Tearing pains in glands. Glandular enlargement. Nails crippled; brittle and soft. Eruptions only on covered parts; worse after scratching, very sensitive to touch. Coldness of one side. Sarcoma; polyps, warts. Brown spots on hands and arms.

Rhus Toxicodendrone

Rhus affects fibrous tissue. Orbital cellulitis. Pustular inflammations. Skin red, swollen; itching intense. Vesicles, herpes; urticaria; pemphigus; erysipelas; vesicular suppurative forms. Glands swollen. Cellulitis. Burning eczematous eruptions with tendency to scale formation. Vesicular erysipelas where the vesicles are large. Exanthema. Black pustules. Herpes, sometimes alternately with asthmatic sufferings and dysenteric looseness. Warts, especially on hands and fingers; large jagged, often pedunculated, exuding moisture and bleeding readily. Rhagades on hands. arms. . Tingling or shooting or else burning smarting in ulcers. Chilblains. Corns on feet, with burning sensation, and pain as of excoriation.

Grephites

A best anti psoric (antiviral). Skin: Rough, hard, persistent dryness of portions of skin unaffected by eczema. Early stage of keloid and fibroma. Pimples and acne. Eruptions, oozing out a sticky exudation. Rawness in bends of limbs, groins, neck, behind ears. Unhealthy skin; every little injury suppurates. Ulcers discharging a glutinous fluid, thin and sticky. Swelling and induration of glands. Gouty nodosities. Cracks in nipples, mouth, between toes, anus. Phlegmonous erysipelas of face; burning and stinging pain. Swelling of feet. Wens.

Hydrastis Canadensis

Eruption like variola. Lupus; ulcers, cancerous formations. Moles. Warts. General tendency to profuse perspiration and unhealthy skin.

Calcar Carbonica

Skin unhealthy; readily ulcerating; flaccid. Small wounds do not heal readily. Glands swollen. Nettle rash. Warts on face and hands. Petechial eruptions. Chilblains. Boils.

Silica Tera

Felons, abscesses, boils, old fistulous ulcers. Delicate, pale, waxy. Cracks at end of fingers. Painless swelling of glands. Rose-colored blotches. Scars suddenly become painful. Pus offensive. Promotes expulsion of foreign bodies from tissues. Every little injury suppurates. Long lasting suppuration and fistulous tracts. Dry fingertips. Eruptions itch only in daytime and evening. Crippled nails. Indurated tumors. Abscesses of joints. After impure vaccination. Bursa. Lepra, nodes, and coppery spots. Keloid growths.

Sabina

Fig-warts, with intolerable itching and burning. Exuberant granulations. Warts. Black pores in skin.

Antimunium Tartaricum

Pustular eruption, leaving a bluish-red mark. Smallpox. Warts. Itching in the skin. Itching pimples, and miliary eruption. Eruptions like scabies.

Anagallis Arvensis

Marked action on skin. Itching; dry, bran-like eruption, especially on hands and fingers. Palms especially affected. Vesicles in groups. Ulcers and swellings on joints. Favors expulsion of splinters. An old medicine for hydrophobia and dropsy. Possesses power of softening flesh and destroying warts.

Dulcamara

Adenitis. Pruritus, always worse in cold, wet weather. Herpes zoster, pemphigus. Swelling and indurated glands from cold. Vesicular eruptions. Sensitive bleeding ulcers. Little boils. Red spots, urticaria, brought on by exposure, or sour stomach. Humid eruptions on face, genitals, hands, etc. Warts, large, smooth, on face and palmar surface of hands. Anasarca. Thick, brown-yellow crusts, bleeding when scratched.

Causticum

Soreness in folds of skin, back of ears, between thighs. Warts large, jagged, bleeding easily, on tips of fingers and nose. Old burns that do not get well, and ill effects from burns. Pains of burns. Cicatrices freshen up; old injuries reopen. Skin prone to intertrigo during dentition.

Petroleum

Itching at night. Chilblains, moist, itch and burn. Bedsores. Skin dry, constricted, very sensitive, rough and cracked, leathery. Herpes. Slightest scratch makes skin suppurate. Intertrigo; psoriasis of hands. Thick, greenish crusts, burning and itching; redness, raw; cracks bleed easily. Eczema.

Nitric Acidum

Warts, large jagged; bleed on washing. Ulcers bleed easily, sensitive; splinter-like pains; zigzag, irregular edges; base looks like raw flesh. Exuberant granulations. Black pores on face, papules.

Kalium Arsenicosum

The Kali ars patient tends towards malignancy, and inveterate skin diseases. Restless, nervous and anemic. Intolerable itching, worse undressing. Dry, scaly, wilted. Acne; pustules worse during menses. Chronic eczema; itching worse from warmth, walking, undressing. Psoriasis, lichen. Phagedenic ulcers. Fissures in bends of arms and knees. Gouty nodosities; worse, change of weather. Skin cancer, where suddenly an alarming malignancy without any external signs sets in. Numerous small nodules under skin. Cauliflower like warts.

Kalium Muriaticum

Acne, erythema, and eczema, with vesicles containing thick, white contents. Dry, flour-like scales on the skin. Bursitis. Inflammatory states, fibrinous exudations, and glandular swellings.

Heper Sulphuricum

Abscesses; suppurating glands are very sensitive. Papules prone to suppurate and extend. Acne in youth. Suppurate with prickly pain. Easily bleed. Angio-neurotic edema. Unhealthy skin; every little injury suppurates. Chapped skin, with deep cracks on hands and feet. Ulcers, with bloody suppuration, smelling like old cheese. Ulcers very sensitive to contact, burning, stinging, easily bleeding. Sweats day and night without relief. “Cold-sores” very sensitive. Cannot bear to be uncovered; wants to be wrapped up warmly. Sticking or pricking in afflicted parts. Putrid ulcers, surrounded by little pimples. Great sensitiveness to slightest touch. Chronic and recurring urticaria. Smallpox. Herpes circinatus. Constant offensive exhalation from the body.

Sepia

Herpes circinatus in isolated spots. Itching; not relieved by scratching; worse in bends of elbows and knees. Chloasma; herpetic eruption on lips, about mouth and nose. Ringworm-like eruption every spring. Urticaria on going in open air; better in warm room. Hyperidrosis and bromidrosis. Sweat on feet, worse on toes; intolerable odor. Lentigo in young women. Ichthyosis with offensive odor of skin.

Sarsaparilla

Emaciated, shriveled, lies in folds, dry, flabby. Herpetic eruptions; ulcers. Rash from exposure to open air; dry, itching; comes on in spring; becomes crusty. Rhagades; skin cracked on hands and feet. Skin hard, indurated. Summer cutaneous affections.

Natrum Muriaticum

Greasy, oily, especially on hairy parts. Dry eruptions, especially on margin of hairy scalp and bends of joints. Fever blisters. Urticaria; itch and burn. Crusty eruptions in bends of limbs, margin of scalp, behind ears. Warts on palms of hands. Eczema; raw, red, and inflamed; worse, eating salt, at seashore. Affects hair follicles. Alopecia. Hives, itching after exertion. Greasy skin.

Kreosotum

Itching, worse towards evening. Burning in soles. Senile gangrene. Small wounds bleed freely. Pustules and herpes. Ecchymosis; dorsal surface of fingers and hands eczematous.

Medorrhinum

Skin yellow. Intense and incessant itching; worse night and when thinking of it. Fiery red rash about anus in babies. Copper-colored spots. Favus. Tumors and abnormal growth.

Variolinum

Exanthema of sharp, pointed pimples, usually small, seldom large and suppurating, dry, resting on small red areolae, frequently interspersed with spots of red color, sometimes severe itching. Petechial eruptions. Shingles.

Sulphur

Skin dry, scaly, unhealthy; every little injury suppurates. Freckles. Itching, burning; worse scratching and washing. Pimply eruption, pustules, rhagades, hangnails. Excoriation, especially in folds. Feeling of a band around bones. Skin affections after local medication. Pruritus, especially from warmth, in evening, often recurs in spring and in damp weather.

Tellurium Metallicum

Itching of hands and feet. Herpetic spots; ringworm. Ring-shape lesions, offensive odors from affected parts. Barber’s itch. Stinging in skin. Fetid exhalations. Offensive foot-sweat. Eczema, offensive discharges. Circular patches of eczema. Otorrhea – itching, swelling, throbbing in meatus. Deafness.

Antimonium Crudum

Eczema with gastric derangements. Pimples, vesicles, and pustules. Sensitive to cold bathing. Thick, hard, honey-colored scabs. Urticaria; measle-like eruption. Itching when warm in bed. Dry skin. Warts. Dry gangrene. Scaly, pustular eruption with burning and itching, worse at night.

Carcinosin

Cutaneous warts are hyperkeratotic protrusions over the skin caused by human papilloma
virus (HPV). Typical warts, tender when growing beneath the nail plate and fissured. Periungual warts common around the nails, especially beneath the nail and nail folds and can significantly disturb nail growth. Plane warts – flat, marginally raised and generally skin-colored or greyish yellow, may be pigmented. Warts may be flat, rough and painful papulonodular epidermal lesions over different body parts.

Ferrum Picricum

Is considered a great remedy to complete the action of other medicines. The symptom that specially calls for it is failure of the function of an organ under exertion; e g, the voice fails after public speaking. Acts best in dark-haired patients, plethoric, with sensitive livers. Warts and epithelial growths; corns with yellowish discoloration. Senile hypertrophy of the prostate. Epistaxis. Chronic deafness and tinnitus/humming due to gout. Meatus dry. Pseudo-leukemia. Pain in right side of neck and down right arm. Locomotor ataxia, ocular stage. Hands covered with warts.

Deafness before menses. Crackling in ears and low-pitched voice. Vascular deafness. Dental neuralgia, radiating towards ears and eyes. Tinnitus.

Pain along entire urethra. Frequent micturition at night, with full feeling and pressure in rectum. Smarting at neck of bladder and penis. Retention of urine.

Staphysagria

Eczema of head, ears, face, and body; thick scabs, dry, and itch violently; scratching changes location of itching. Fig-warts pedunculated. Arthritic nodes. Inflammation of phalanges. Night-sweats. Muscles, especially of calves, feel bruised. Backache; worse in morning before rising. Extremities feel beaten and painful. Joints stiff. Crural neuralgia. Dull aching of nates extending to hip-joint and small of back.

Outlook / Prognosis

P. S: This article is only for doctors and students having good knowledge about Homeopathy and allopathy.

For proper consultation and treatment, please visit our clinic.

Dr. Sayyad Qaisar Ahmed (MD {Ukraine}, DHMS), Abdominal Surgeries, Oncological surgeries, Gastroenterologist, Specialist Homeopathic Medicines.

  Senior research officer at Dnepropetrovsk state medical academy Ukraine.

Location:  Al-Haytham clinic, Umer Farooq Chowk Risalpur Sadder (0923631023, 03119884588), K.P.K, Pakistan.

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