Flat warts, Verruca Plana, are common flesh-colored to reddish-brown raised areas of the skin with a flat surface. They usually grow up to 5 millimeters in diameter and mostly effect the faces of children and juveniles. They are less common on hands and legs.
Flat warts are not dangerous, but they can be unsightly and even disfiguring. They can disappear on their own, but that process may take up to several years. A number of treatments, from natural to surgical, promise faster relief.
What Causes Warts?
As with all other warts, the flat wart is caused by a virus, the human papillomavirus (HPV), of which more than 130 variations have been discovered. This virus can be transmitted from one infected person to another.
HPV infects the epidermis and mucous membranes. It causes warts and even certain kinds of cancer. However, flat warts are caused by specific strains of the HPV virus and are not malignant.
Medication
Over the counter medications for the removal of warts contain acids and should not be used on the face. They can cause damage to the surrounding skin and are dangerous for the eyes and the nose tissues as well.
Always consult a doctor for treatment and removal of flat warts.
Common Treatments
The most common treatment is cryotherapy. During this process, the affected area is "shock frozen" with liquid nitrogen, also known as dry ice. After the treatment, a blister will form and healthy skin should appear after about one week.
Cauterizing the wart, killing the virus with high heat applied with a metal probe, is an alternative, but this process is more likely to also damage surrounding skin.
The most direct method is to vaporize the wart with the targeted beam of a laser or by cutting it out with a surgical instrument. Small scars may result from this treatment.
Alternative Treatments
The application of fresh garlic is a widely used folk, and home, remedy. Half a glove of garlic is rubbed over the affected area, which is then protected by a band-aid for several hours or overnight. It has been found that warts can disappear after about two months of this treatment daily.
Practitioners also claim to have found a positive effect from hypnosis on the development of warts. But this requires many sessions over several weeks, without any guarantee of success.
Prevention
Warts are contagious, so the best way to prevent them is to avoid contact with infected skin.
Do not share a towel or unwashed clothes with an infected person. In case of facial warts, do not sleep on the same pillow twice. Always wash your hands after touching your warts so that you don't spread them to others.
Warning
Do not try to remove the warts by yourself. Any scratching, cutting or even burning might only exacerbate the problem and result in pain and unsightly scars without having gotten rid of the virus. It may actually cause the virus to spread and create even more warts.
Tags: affected area, after about, damage surrounding, damage surrounding skin, Flat warts, infected person