Many physicians use the substance podophyllotoxin to treat venereal warts. Podophyllin is actually a plant substance extracted from the plant podophyllum peltatum. For decades, it has been used as a medicinal compound by the North American Native Indians.
Podophyllotoxin actually prevents the wart cells from multiplying and dividing. Eventually all the wart cells die and the wart disappear.
Today Podophyllin is available only with a prescription and used as a cream or solution. It is not recommended to be used internally or for warts that are larger than a quarter.
In most cases, physicians apply the Podophyllin themselves and are reluctant to give out a prescription because the chemical is toxic. Once the skin is washed and completely dry, one should apply a cream on the normal skin. This is to prevent the Podophyllin from irritating normal skin. Then using a Q-tip the Podophyllin is applied and the wart is covered. The wart must be dry before applying the chemical. Podophyllin is applied twice a day for 3-4 consecutive days. In most cases, the treatment has to be repeated for several weeks.
In general, Podophyllin should not be applied for more than 5 weeks. Within this time period, most warts are gone. It is extremely important to make sure that the Podophyllin does not come into contact with the eyes, nose, mouth or healthy skin, inside the vagina, rectum or the urethra. If this happens, flush with water for 15-20 minutes. If inadvertent contact has been made with healthy skin, apply Vaseline or zinc ointment. Wash hands after each application and discard the Q-tip.
The first application of Podophyllin on the wart is painless but the subsequent applications do sting. This is because the wart is dying and the raw surface is exposed. Itching, pain and redness are common complaints. These effects are transient and can be reduced by applying some over the counter hydrocortisone.
Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not be treated with Podophyllin, as the safety of this agent has not been demonstrated on the fetus.
Podophyllin is a great drug for warts as long as one can tolerate the subsequent pain and discomfort.
Showing posts with label warts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warts. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Treatment of warts with trichloroacetic acid
The first thing that everyone who has warts needs to understand is that more than 1/3rd of all cases of genital warts disappear spontaneously without doing anything. For the majority of individuals who have warts that are not bothersome, the best thing to do is Nothing- and that means keep away from health care professionals.
For individuals who have warts which are causing symptoms like burning, itching, bleeding or pain, then one can seek treatment. The majority of other individuals who seek treatment have no symptoms but are bothered by appearance of warts on the genitals. The second thing that all people who have warts should know is that the HPV is never completely destroyed with treatment. The virus has an ability to hide and genital warts can recur after treatment.
The treatment options are as follows:
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or bichloroacetic acid can be used to treat venereal warts. The acid works by destroying the top protein layer on the warts and slowly reduces growth. Trichloroacetic acid is only supposed to be applied once a week. To prevent skin irritation, it has to be applied only on the wart.
The health care professional will apply some Vaseline or a thick cream around the normal skin before applying the TCA to the warts.
TCA works about 60%-80% of the time and the effects are not immediate. In most cases, warts take anywhere from 6-10 weeks to disappear. TCA is most effective for the very small warts (< 3 mm).
When TCA is initially applied on the wart, it does sting for a few minutes. Individuals who have sensitive skin should be forewarned, TCA can cause moderate pain, severe irritation and blister formation it if gets on normal skin. Individuals who have large warts > 5 mm, should not apply TCA. TCA can be quite painful when more of it is applied to skin.
Because of the potential for complications, TCA applications for warts is only performed by health care professionals. Home use of high strength TCA is not recommended.
For individuals who have warts which are causing symptoms like burning, itching, bleeding or pain, then one can seek treatment. The majority of other individuals who seek treatment have no symptoms but are bothered by appearance of warts on the genitals. The second thing that all people who have warts should know is that the HPV is never completely destroyed with treatment. The virus has an ability to hide and genital warts can recur after treatment.
The treatment options are as follows:
Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or bichloroacetic acid can be used to treat venereal warts. The acid works by destroying the top protein layer on the warts and slowly reduces growth. Trichloroacetic acid is only supposed to be applied once a week. To prevent skin irritation, it has to be applied only on the wart.
The health care professional will apply some Vaseline or a thick cream around the normal skin before applying the TCA to the warts.
TCA works about 60%-80% of the time and the effects are not immediate. In most cases, warts take anywhere from 6-10 weeks to disappear. TCA is most effective for the very small warts (< 3 mm).
When TCA is initially applied on the wart, it does sting for a few minutes. Individuals who have sensitive skin should be forewarned, TCA can cause moderate pain, severe irritation and blister formation it if gets on normal skin. Individuals who have large warts > 5 mm, should not apply TCA. TCA can be quite painful when more of it is applied to skin.
Because of the potential for complications, TCA applications for warts is only performed by health care professionals. Home use of high strength TCA is not recommended.
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