Wart treatment continues to develop and newer treatment
modalities continue to come out. Let’s discuss some of the more popular
treatments.
The reason why warts persist so long is that they hide from the immune system by living in the thick skin of the plantar skin. A popular theory now being investigated is injecting something into the wart that will alert the immune system. Candida albicans, a yeast known for causing oral thrush and yeast infections, has been injected into warts. The immune system then begins to attack the yeast, and at the same time realizes the presence of the wart and begins to attack it. This treatment has shown promising results in some, but doesn’t work for everyone. Talk to your podiatrist if you are interested in attempting this mode of treatment.
Another treatment for warts is called bleomycin. This may alarm some of you who know that this medication is a chemotherapy agent for those undergoing cancer treatments. However, when using this medication for wart treatment, bleomycin is diluted down and is only injected into the most superficial part of the skin, similar to how TB tests are done. Bleomycin stays locally inside the wart and does not get into your circulation. After one application, the wart will turn black over a 2 week period. The wart is then debrided using a scalpel. Often, only one or two treatment is necessary. If used correctly, this treatment is very effective in only a few office visits.
Another product being used for wart treatment is canthacur. This is a product that comes from the saliva of an exotic beetle. It is a very potent chemical that when applied to skin will cause blistering and lifting of the skin, which will cause the wart virus to die. This is a newer treatment that is slowly gaining favor. The most commonly seen problem with this treatment is that the chemical, when the foot begins to sweat, will dissolve and not stay over the affected area. This will obviously decrease the effectiveness of the treatment.
If these conservative measures fail, there are some surgical options that can be pursued. We’ll discuss these next post.
The reason why warts persist so long is that they hide from the immune system by living in the thick skin of the plantar skin. A popular theory now being investigated is injecting something into the wart that will alert the immune system. Candida albicans, a yeast known for causing oral thrush and yeast infections, has been injected into warts. The immune system then begins to attack the yeast, and at the same time realizes the presence of the wart and begins to attack it. This treatment has shown promising results in some, but doesn’t work for everyone. Talk to your podiatrist if you are interested in attempting this mode of treatment.
Another treatment for warts is called bleomycin. This may alarm some of you who know that this medication is a chemotherapy agent for those undergoing cancer treatments. However, when using this medication for wart treatment, bleomycin is diluted down and is only injected into the most superficial part of the skin, similar to how TB tests are done. Bleomycin stays locally inside the wart and does not get into your circulation. After one application, the wart will turn black over a 2 week period. The wart is then debrided using a scalpel. Often, only one or two treatment is necessary. If used correctly, this treatment is very effective in only a few office visits.
Another product being used for wart treatment is canthacur. This is a product that comes from the saliva of an exotic beetle. It is a very potent chemical that when applied to skin will cause blistering and lifting of the skin, which will cause the wart virus to die. This is a newer treatment that is slowly gaining favor. The most commonly seen problem with this treatment is that the chemical, when the foot begins to sweat, will dissolve and not stay over the affected area. This will obviously decrease the effectiveness of the treatment.
If these conservative measures fail, there are some surgical options that can be pursued. We’ll discuss these next post.
