Warts And Verrucas: Causes, Treatments & Preventions!

Have you seen those small, rough growths in someone’s fingers, lower lips, feet, or other parts of the body? These are known as warts and are mostly caused by certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV).

These are some kinds of viral infections that form on your skin as lumps, and the ones that develop at the bottom of the feet are termed Verrucas. 

Usually, people ignore all the signs and let them stay on their bodies forever. Over time, it can grow in size and become all the way more embarrassing for you.

So, why not remove a wart or verrucas before it becomes an insecurity for you? Make sure you are following the mentioned details about warts and verrucas further below and taking care of it effectively:

Are Warts And Verricus the Same Issue?

When it comes to the similarity between warts and verrucas, there is only one, and it is the virus that causes it. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is the main cause of these unsightly things on your skin.

Usually, when you contract these viruses, they start to increase the production of keratin in your body. This leads to the growth of some extra skin cells in some parts of your body, like your eyelids, fingers, and toes. 

Warts And Verrucas The Same

Warts and verrucas are two different things, as a wart is an excessive skin growth that can appear on a few parts of your body. However, verrucas are quite the opposite of a wart; they grow inside your skin and can cause pain after extensive growth.

Warts can appear in the areas that usually rub together more often, but verrucas occur mainly due to the increased keratin levels.

What Are The Possible Causes?

One of the main causes of warts and verrucas is the HPV virus, and it can infect you for several reasons. Warts and verrucas usually take months before appearing on your skin when you contract the virus.

Warts and verrucas usually happen when you either have a bruise and cut for a long time or when the area stays wet for extended periods. 

Wetness can harbor the HPV virus and give it a path to enter your skin. Make sure you are keeping the feet and finger crevices clean and dry all the time to stay away from HPV.

Staying clean will not only prevent you from getting infected but also help you stay in a better health.

What Are The Best Remedies For Warts And Verricus?

When it comes to treatments and remedies for these warts and verrucas, you need to understand that these become a part of your body after some time. That’s why it is impractical just to cut off a wart; it will bleed and give you pain.

In the case of verrucas, you can’t simply impale yourself with sharp things to take the lump out. To get a wart or verrucas out of your body, you need to apply practical methods like cryotherapy or see your dermatologist for the treatment. Anyway, here are some practical yet effective ways to remove a wart or verrucas effectively:

Take Advantage Of Home Remedies

When it comes to Indian homes and their home remedies, many conditions like these are treated effectively. You can go for home remedies to get rid of warts and verrucas as well.

You can go for the threading technique, in which you tie a thread to your wart tightly and cut the blood supply. It will lead to rotting of the wart and will fall off spontaneously without damaging your skin.

Consult A Cryo Specialist

There is another close-to-surgery but effective procedure for getting rid of warts and verrucas. Cryotherapy has been popular on social media as it can be quite a satisfactory sight of freezing your wart and seeing it break apart.

You can get a cryotherapy from a dermatologist, he/she will use liquid nitrogen to freeze the lump and then simply break it like ice cubes.

Apply Salicylic Acid To The Wart

Salicylic acid has been proven to treat warts in a small study done on infected people. Apply salicylic acid to your verrucas or wart for at least a couple of months, and it will most likely remove the lump from your body.

However, make sure you are not treating your face or neck areas with salicylic acid, as it can be harsh on your skin, causing rashes.

What Are The Best Ways To Preventing These Warts And Verricus?

When it comes to complete prevention related to contracting the HPV virus, there is none; anyone can get the virus. However, when it comes to not giving those viruses a chance to live, you can do some things to ensure that. Always focus on your hygiene and stay dry in spots like toes and finger crevices.

Don’t nick the area of infection while shaving, even if the growth starts to begin on your skin. Shaving over a wart or verrucas can lead to increased effects and pain. Another thing you can do to prevent warts and verrucas is that you can maintain your hygiene every time.

Are Warts And Verrucas Contagious?

A wart or verrucas is not an airborne infection, like other viruses. However, it can spread through touch and rubbing on the infected spot.

As warts and verrucas are caused due to viruses, they can spread to other people from touch to the infected area. There is a chance that if you keep the infected area wet all the time, it can spread to other parts of your body as well.

Also Read: Skin Infections: What Are The Types, Causes, And Treatments?

Conclusion

The main cause of warts and verrucas is the HPV virus, but it infects you when you stay unhygienic and wet all the time. There is always some type of prevention for most health issues, so make sure you are at least staying clean and hygienic.

There is always a home remedy for the treatment, but in case that doesn’t work, you can get cryotherapy from your dermatologist. It will get rid of your warts and verrucas.

Dr. Luna Rey specializes in diagnosing and treating a wide range of skin conditions, from common conditions like acne and eczema to more complex conditions like psoriasis and skin cancer. In addition to her medical practice, Dr. Luna has a strong interest in writing and has published numerous articles on dermatology topics in leading medical journals. Her writing style is clear, concise, and easy to understand, making her work accessible to a broad audience.

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