Getting the Facts about Freezing off Warts
Warts are something that many people have to deal with at some point in life. One of the more common methods for treating these growths is freezing off warts. Before you take that step, you need to know the facts first:
What are warts?
Warts are actually a viral infection happening on the skin. The main virus that causes warts is the family of human papillomoviruses. Warts come in many different shapes and sizes. Here are some of the common forms:
• The common wart is a raised area of the skin with a rough surface, found mainly on the hands.
• The flat wart is small and smooth, common on the exposed areas of the body.
• A filiform wart looks like a small finger or digit. They develop mainly around the lips and eyelids.
• A plantar wart is usually a hard, painful lump, usually found only on the feet.
There are up to 10 known forms of warts. Each type of wart seems to have its own group of papilloma virus that causes them. For example, common warts are usually HPV types 2 or 4, although there are a few others that can cause them.
What are the common treatment options for warts?
Cryosurgery, or freezing off warts, is the most common treatment option. This involves using some sort of freezing technique to freeze the tissue of the wart. This helps to kill off the blood vessels that feed the warts with blood. Within a few days of application, the wart tissue will fall off naturally.
Laser treatment is another option. The laser light will kill off the living tissue feeding into the wart. Over time, this will help the warts disappear.
What are the options with freezing off warts?
You can choose to go to a doctor or to do the freezing at home.
If you have a number of warts, your best option will be to go to the doctor. The doctor has the treatment options that will allow him or her to treat all the warts at the same time. In most cases, the doctor will use liquid nitrogen. Using a blast of the nitrogen, the doctor freezes the tissue. This kills off the blood vessels.
There are over the counter treatments that also use liquid nitrogen. This is a good option for one or two warts instead of a multiple.
Freezing off warts is a great way to get rid of them safely and quickly.
