Choosing the Right Treatment Option for Common Warts

When it comes to unconditional acceptance, the old adage about loving someone "warts and all" is a great sentiment, but those who literally have warts don't want to accept them; they want to get rid of them. The human papillomavirus is the culprit behind the unsightly bumps, and is the cause of all six types of warts: common warts, plantar warts, mosaic warts, flat wars, filiform warts, and genital warts. As its name implies, the common wart (also known as verruca vulgaris) is the run-of-the-mill wart that usually erupts on the hands and knees.

No one knows exactly why (perhaps because their immune systems aren't fully developed), but children and adolescents are most likely to get verrucae vulgares or common warts. This is even more unfortunate because the virus that causes warts is contagious, and touching the affected area can cause warts to spread. It can be difficult for children to be conscientious about keeping the wart isolated, so it's imperative to treat it as soon as possible.

When it comes to treatment for common warts, there are a number of options. A few decades ago, it was commonplace for a doctor to "burn" the wart off; today, physicians generally avoid that treatment due to the danger of making the virus airborne. Instead, the first line of treatment is usually liquid nitrogen, which freezes and blisters the area between the wart and the skin. It's not unusual to have to repeat this painful procedure two or more times for it to work.

Another medical remedy involves the application of cantharidin, a substance obtained from beetles that also causes blistering. Again, the affected area must sometimes be treated multiple times, and, as with liquid nitrogen, there is a chance that the wart will re-grow. More frequently, the treatment itself causes scar tissue to form, thus replacing the wart with skin that is almost as unsightly.

Over the counter remedies for common warts generally rely on salicylic acid, either as part of a band-aid that covers the affected area, or as a concentrate that is applied once or twice a day to the warts for up to several weeks. This is less painful than liquid nitrogen or cantharidin treatments, but it still introduces an unnatural substance to the body.

One of the most effective treatments for common warts is one that gets little attention: essential oils. Essential oils are compounds that are concentrated forms of plant flowers, roots, bark, and seeds. Unlike medical and over the counter wart remedies, essential oils treat the underlying problem as well as the actual wart. By helping to develop the immune system, essential oils support the body's natural healing abilities. In addition, essential oils draw out the wart from the root, and over the course of two to eight weeks, can eliminate both the wart and the root, preventing its re-growth.

In addition to eliminating common warts, the best thing about using the right blend of essential oils in treatment is that the oils won't irritate or scar the skin. Used properly, they're also completely safe for children and adolescents - a welcome relief for concerned parents who worry about the powerful chemicals in medical and over the counter treatments.

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About the Author

Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2008 (Sun Aug 03 2008) Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://majon.com

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