Most people will tell you that if you want to avoid getting warts, you shouldn't touch frogs or toads. This legendary belief in the amphibious cause of common warts may be the result of folktales and lore read to us as small children. Unfortunately, these tales have created a
major misconception about what warts are and where they come from.
Few people realize that common and plantar warts are caused by a viral infection. These warts are caused by a human papilloma virus (HPV). This virus causes skin cells to multiply rapidly, resulting in benign (non-cancerous) growths that are more embarrassing than serious, yet are very contagious.
What Are Common And Plantar Warts?
Common and plantar warts are non-cancerous skin growths caused by a human papilloma virus. Warts are contagious and can spread from person to person or from one body part to another by touch or direct contact. Warts can also be spread indirectly through contact with contaminated surfaces such as wet floors, swimming pool areas, etc. Between 7-10% of the population have warts. Children are more likely to have warts than adults. Infection seems to be more likely to occur if a person’s skin has been previously damaged in some way, such as through a minor cut. However, infection can occur even if the skin is not damaged in any way. It is believed that the immune system may play a role in the development of warts. Warts are particularly common in childhood due to immature immune system resistance and frequent skin-to-skin contact with other children which increases the likelihood of transmission.
Warts can be round or irregular in shape, flat or raised from the surface of the skin. Typically, common warts grow around the nails, on the fingers and on the backs of hands, but also can be found on the knees and face (most often where the skin has been previously broken). A common wart can also be recognized by its rough, "cauliflower"-like surface. Plantar warts are found on the bottom of the feet. Plantar warts can also be recognized by their tenderness and by the way they interrupt the normal pattern of the skin on the foot. Due to the pressure normally applied to the bottom of the feet through walking, plantar warts tend to appear flat in structure and are often painful. Most plantar warts are not raised above the surface of the skin. Plantar warts can be confused with calluses.
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Removing Warts
While warts are nothing to be overly concerned about from a medical standpoint, they typically are not a welcome physical attribute. Mark Twain's legendary character Huckleberry Finn suggested rubbing a wart with the blood of a dead black cat, and old wives' tales proposed rubbing the wart with a baked onion that is later buried in the ground under a full moon. These are some "legendary" ways to remove warts.
Today, medical experts suggest a more practical and effective approach. In the case of children, it may be best to try an over-the-counter product first, since office procedures performed by a doctor may frighten a child. However, compliance is a problem with many of the products available. Compound W®, the popular line of wart removal products, has a product specifically made for children called Compound W® Waterproof One Step Pads for Kids, newly designed in bright patterns which helps make the process fun. A medicated pad that is camouflaged as a colorful adhesive bandage completely covers the wart. Kids like the bandage, so they keep it on.
Adults can choose from several Compound W® medications including Compound W® Waterproof One Step Pads, Compound W® Fast-Acting Liquid, Compound W® Fast-Acting Gel and Compound W® Waterproof One Step Pads for Feet. All of these Compound W® products contain the maximum allowable OTC strength salicylic acid -- the ingredient pharmacists recommend for treating common and plantar warts.
Compound W® Freeze Off® is the latest innovation in wart removal from Compound W®. It now allows consumers to use at home a "wart freezing" treatment similar to those used by professionals. Compound W® Freeze Off® easily freezes and removes both common and plantar warts.
While most warts eventually go away, it can take a very long time. During this prolonged time, the virus can spread to other parts of the body or to other people. Perhaps more importantly to some, warts can cause undue embarrassment, especially to self-conscious children and teens.
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Tips for Avoiding Warts
While it is impossible to completely avoid contact with HPV, there are precautions one can take to help lessen the risks of developing warts:
• Avoid biting and chewing fingernails and cuticles. This can predispose skin to infection.
• Moisturize dry, cracked skin.
• Avoid walking around barefoot in damp showers, locker rooms or on swimming pool decks.
• Purchase an inexpensive pair of plastic sandals or flip-flops to protect feet from possible contamination with the wart virus.
• Do not share towels or washcloths.
• Wash hands often and moisturize (reiterate the importance of this to children).
• Avoid sweaty feet by lining shoes with special liners or using foot powders to keep feet dry.
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Compound W® Products
Whether it's a wart on your child's hand or a plantar wart on the bottom of your foot, there is a specially designed Compound W® product that can help. With innovative products for adults and children, Compound W® has been a trusted name in wart removal for almost 50 years.
Compound W® Freeze Off® is an innovation in wart removal that enables you to easily and effectively freeze and remove common and plantar warts at home. For years, doctors have performed a simple "wart freezing" process in their offices that quickly removes warts. But until recently this procedure could only be done in a medical professional's office. Now Compound W® Freeze Off® has taken this type of treatment and made it available for use at home, over-the-counter. The product works by applying a foam applicator to the center of the wart for no more than 40 seconds. The applicator tip is cooled to about -55° C. Typically, the wart falls off within two weeks' time and new skin grows in its place. Generally, as little as one self-administered treatment is required.
For more information on Compound W® Freeze Off®, click here.
Maximum Strength Compound W® Fast-Acting Liquid is the pharmacist recommended solution for easily removing common warts. With its easy-to-use brush applicator and maximum allowable OTC strength formula, removing warts is targeted and effective.
Maximum Strength Compound W® Fast-Acting Gel and Compound W® Waterproof One Step Pads utilize the same trusted active ingredient in unique applications - a no-drip gel formula and an all-in-one treatment pad. The gel formula is thicker, making it easy to apply directly to the wart itself. The self-adhesive pads provide effective medication to the wart while covering up and protecting the surrounding skin.
Maximum Strength Compound W® Waterproof One Step Pads for Feet treats plantar warts in the convenience of your own home. It features cushioned, waterproof, self-adhesive pads that resemble a large bandage.
For children who suffer from warts each year, there is Maximum Strength Compound W® Waterproof One Step Pads for Kids. With bold and colorful patterns, children get the same maximum strength medication in a kid-friendly design that protects the sensitive skin surrounding the treated wart. Parents will find that it's less of a battle to treat their children's warts with a product that kids like to wear.
Compound W®… the #1 pharmacist recommended brand name in wart removal!
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