First aid for warts

Tired of warts? Don't panic, they may not be that pretty, but they're harmless and usually disappear on their own. Do you want to get rid of it faster? These resources will help you.

Chances are you've had a wart before. Fortunately, most warts are harmless. They appear suddenly and usually disappear on their own. Most warts are gone within a year, but sometimes they take years to disappear. Warts are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). This virus spreads through skin-to-skin contact. If the virus comes into contact with your skin, a wart can form. If you scratch open a wart, the virus will come out more easily and you can infect yourself or someone else. It is therefore best to cover an inflamed wart with a plaster for a few days to prevent the virus from spreading.

Different types of warts
There are different types of warts. You are probably familiar with the common warts. They mainly occur on your hands, but can sometimes also be found on your feet. They feel like rough lumps. If the wart is on your foot, it can start to hurt because the wart is pressed into the callus while walking. You also have water warts. These are smooth, small and have a pit in them. They can be anywhere on your body and are especially common in children. Then you have the genital warts that are on the genitals. This strain is contagious and can be passed on to your partner during sex. These warts are pink-red or white-grey and are very annoying, but often go away on their own.

Good hygiene helps The wart virus can be found everywhere, but especially in warm, humid areas such as swimming pools or gymnasiums. Good hygiene reduces the risk of warts. For example, don't share towels with other people. Do you have foot warts? Then wash your feet every day, preferably without soap. Dry your feet well and put on clean cotton or wool socks every day. In addition, always wear slippers in communal shower rooms and swimming pools and shoes in a gym.

How to get rid of warts

• Warts usually disappear on their own, so you don't necessarily have to have them treated by your doctor. If you have pain because of a wart or you just want to get rid of it, you can treat it yourself or have it treated by the doctor.
• Are you going to get started yourself? Then use a spot-on liquid or self-care product that resembles the freezing method that the GP uses in his practice. You do not need to treat water warts. They disappear on their own and treatment in some cases has more disadvantages than advantages.
• Do you touch the wart yourself, but has it not disappeared or has become smaller after three months? Then go to your doctor. He or she can freeze the wart with liquid nitrogen. This is often painful and sometimes more than one treatment is needed to make the wart disappear.
• If a wart bleeds, itches, or changes size or color, it could mean the wart is malignant. Then make an appointment with your doctor.
• During the treatment, protect the healthy skin around a wart with Vaseline or a greasy cream against irritation. To protect the skin from the injection liquid, you can also make a hole in a plaster with a perforator and stick it over the wart. This way you can touch the wart very precisely with the product without irritating the rest of your skin.
• Always have genital warts treated by your doctor. Keep in mind that it can take months for the wart to shrink or disappear.

A wart can come back
Are your warts finally gone after touching with liquid? Then the chance that they will come back at some point, unfortunately, is very high. One in two people will get a wart in the same places again.

You can treat warts yourself with these products.