My teenage daughter has developed a cluster of warts on both hands. They are unsightly and she is very embarrassed by them. We have tried some lotions but have had little success in clearing them. What other treatment options are available?
CONVENTIONAL REMEDY: Warts are caused by a virus known as the human papilloma virus. There is a number of different types of human papilloma virus which give rise to different types of warts. The common wart can occur anywhere on the body, but are most usually found on the hands. They resemble small raised lumps on the skin with a horny surface.
The wart virus is spread by contact. If a wart is damaged it can release the virus which may cause small warts to develop in surrounding areas. The virus seems to act by stimulating a thickening of the skin. Most adults will develop an immunity to the wart virus. Children who have not come in contact with the virus have no natural immunity to it. This is why warts are so common in children and young people.
There are several methods available for the treatment of the common wart, which can be divided into three main approaches: paint or creams, cryotherapy and surgery. Paints or creams are based on salicylic acid which works by dissolving the thickened skin. Cryotherapy is a method whereby the wart is destroyed by freezing therapy. Many general practitioners perform this procedure using an aerosol spray called histo-freeze. Liquid nitrogen can also be used in the same way and is useful for the treatment of larger or more resistant warts. Freezing therapy destroys the substance of the wart and kills the virus. Surgery to scrape the wart away is also an option. The major disadvantage to using surgical methods is that the wart virus can be released causing warts to develop in surrounding areas. Finally, a special form of laser using carbon dioxide can be used on warts that have proved resistant to other forms of treatment.
Discourage your daughter from picking at the warts as this is probably contributing to their spread. Warts tend to be self limiting and eventually the body will develop an immune response against the wart virus. The warts often clear of their own accord as a result of this immune response. This can take up to 18 months or longer. Your GP will be able to advise on which treatment method is most appropriate for your daughter's warts.
Dr Muiris Houston
ALTERNATIVE REMEDY: It is not uncommon for teenagers of either sex to suddenly develop warts, seemingly without reason. It is equally understandable that they should be embarrassed by their arrival as most people would agree that warts are unsightly and, to the teenager affected, catastrophic! However, warts are very often successfully treated on a selfhelp basis with homoeopathic remedies.
The most commonly used remedy is Thuja 6c. This remedy is effective for a large variety of warts, including those that are jagged and isolated. Thuja is beneficial in that it can be used both for external and internal treatment. When using topically (externally), Thuja tincture can be applied directly to the affected parts twice daily. As an internal treatment, a 6c tablet may be taken daily for up to 10 days. However, while the tablets are widely available in pharmacies and health food shops, you may have to contact a homoeopathic pharmacy to obtain the tincture.
As with all homoeopathic treatments the remedy selected is on the basis of matching symptoms to similar remedy pictures. For example, where the warts are on the tips of the fingers, are hard, inflamed, painful and bleeding easily, Causticum 6c is effective. Alternatively, when the warts itch and sting, are large and jagged, and bleed upon washing, Nitric acid 6c is more usefully prescribed. And for warts which feel both hard in substance and yet smooth to touch, Antimonium crudum 6c would be my choice of remedy.
As with Thuja 6c, the appropriate remedy can be taken daily for up to 10 days. You should wait for a period of at least two weeks after that, though, to determine whether the treatment has worked for your daughter. If the treatment does not succeed in removing the warts, or if the warts return, I would suggest your daughter attends for a homoeopathic consultation as the warts may be symptomatic of a more constitutional complaint.
Homoeopath Karen Doherty
The Irish Society of Homoeopaths tel: 091-565040.