(Common Wart, Flat Wart, Plane Wart, Verruca Plana, Plantar Wart, Verruca Plantaris, Periungual Wart)

Warts or Verrucae are extremely common amongst children and the adolescent age group; they become quite infrequent in adulthood.

If you have a rough-textured bump on your fingers, toes, foot, palm, knees or knuckles that are spreading, then you probably do have warts or verrucae. Other signs suggestive of warts are verrucae are if they spread, if they have a cauliflower-like surface, if they have a single or multiple black dots on their surface, if you have had them before and if they have gone away on their own.

• Warts can go away on their own, but this can take months to years.
• You can do several things to help the process of getting rid of warts
• Avoid keeping the area damp and warm, so change your socks regularly, allow the air to dry out the area.
• Don’t pick or bite the skin on or around the warts.
• Keep them covered with a plaster when going out for a swim or a public bath.
• Don’t share towels and socks with someone else.
• Wear gloves if you work in a meat, fish or poultry handling factory.

Warts are contagious, and it is important to practice safe swimming which involves making sure that the warts are covered with a waterproof plaster when you are in the pool or in the showers or changing area. Please take care not to share your clothes, socks, shoes, or towels with others.

Most warts are slow-growing relatively harmless infections; however, in immunocompromised patients, warts can rarely turn into more aggressive growths called squamous cell carcinoma.

Most warts are harmless and go away on their own, especially if you take care not to cause them to spread by picking at them, biting fingers, and if you keep the skin adjoining them dry and free from the wet, moist, damp and warm environment (by frequent changing of socks, for example).

If a wart of a group of warts or verruca is presenting a cosmetic problem or are causing a functional problem like pain and discomfort while walking, you can see your doctor for advice.

There are many over the counter Salicylic Acid creams/gels that you can apply to the wart every night till it disappears. Some cooling sprays can be used to freeze and destroy warts that are available at the Pharmacy.

If the salicylic acid or over the counter remedies don’t work. In that case, you can come to Reforme Medical Clinic, Cardiff, UK and have a series of Cryotherapy sessions that are repeated every 2 weeks till the wart is gone for a maximum of 6 treatments.

If the Cryotherapy does not work, even when combined with Salicylic Acid application at night, then there are other modalities like Radio-Surgery ablation or laser ablation.