What is a Wart?

A wart is a small and rough tumor that grows on your skin, more commonly on your hands and feet. It can however grow on other parts of your body. Warts are very common and generally they are non-cancerous.

A wart usually resembles a cauliflower or a blister. It's color is different from the color of the nearby skin. In fact it is usually darker or lighter than the nearby skin. Although they are usually painless, sometimes because of their location, they may itch or burn.

Most of the different types of warts that exist are caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus or HPV. The human papilloma virus is contagious and so you can get it from another person.

There are mainly 4 different types of warts:

• Plantar
• Flat
• Genital
• Common

Plantar warts are also referred to as foot warts and are typically found on the bottom of the foot. They are usually very flat because of the pressure caused by walking. However the constant pressure forces this type to grow back inside the foot!

Flat warts are smoother and much smaller than the other types of warts. They are light in color and tend to be subtle variations from the skin pigmentation. They typically occur on the arms, knees, and hands.

Genital warts are a sexually transmitted disease. They can be anywhere in the genital area including the anus, penis or vagina, inside of the rectum and inside the reproductive organs. This type of warts is considered to be the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Common Warts are often found on or around the hands, especially in areas where the skin has been broken by ripped hangnails or broken nails.

The different types of warts can be removed by various warts treatments such as:

• Electrosurgery
• Laser therapy
• Cryosurgery
• Over the Counter medications and Home Treatments

In Electrosurgery an electric current is used to burn them. In Laser therapy a concentrated beam of light is used to destroy them. Cryosurgery uses very low temperatures to freeze them.

Electrosurgery, laser therapy and cryosurgery are a type of surgery. These treatments often require an anesthesia and you may have to attend for more than one session to treat your warts. You will also have some discomforts after the treatment.

Not all the above mentioned treatments may be adequate for all the different types of warts.

Over the counter medications and home treatments are also very commonly used. These methods do not require anesthesia and can cure various type of warts. Some of these treatments produce excellent results.

Your Warts - 4 Ways to Improve Your Immune System to Fight Them in a Natural Way

Warts are caused by a virus called the human papilloma virus or HPV. This virus is contagious and you can get it from other individuals or contaminated places. Children are more prone to get it. Most probably this occurs because they have a less strong immune system then older individuals do.

The immune system defends our bodies from such intruders as viruses and harmful bacteria. It is therefore very advantageous to learn how to strengthen your immune system and so be more able to fight the human papilloma virus. This will reduce the chances of getting warts.

You can improve your immune system by:

• Eating the right foods - Eat a lot of green vegetables such as broccoli. Eat plenty of food that contains proteins. Refrain from eating junk foods such as hamburgers and hot dogs. Try to minimize your intake of chocolate and coffee or any other beverage or food that contains caffeine. Eliminate refined sugars from you diet. Do not replace sugar by refined sweeteners since the latter may be in reality even more harmful.

• Drink a lot of water -Water is a purifying agent. It is amazing how many people are not getting enough water nowadays. Some headaches may be only a sign that you are not drinking enough water.

• Sleep adequately - The normal adult needs approximately 8 hours of sleep each night. The amount of hours needed depends on age; they usually decrease as one advances in age.

• Eliminate smoking or alcohol from your life. - Both smoking and alcohol deplete your immune system. If you are not a heavy smoker or a heavy drinker you can greatly improve your immune system making you more capable to fight the human papilloma virus and so less prone to develop warts.

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Your Warts and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - What Are the Characteristics of This Virus

Most of us have probably been forced to deal with warts at one time or another, whether personally or while supporting loved ones.

A wart is a skin tumor and is typically composed of a small lump on the outer layer of the skin. There are many different types of warts and they are usually classified both by their location on the body and by their appearance.

These skin growths are caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV. The human papilloma virus is contagious and can pass from one person to another. It can also be transmitted by touching an object torched by a contaminated person. The HPV has also a tendency to contaminate other areas in the same body.

It is easily transferred from person to person when the skin has been opened through a scratch, cut, or abrasion. The strains of the human papilloma virus that causes genital warts can easily be transmitted through sexual activity.

Being a carrier of this virus does not always mean that you will develop warts. Many individuals are carriers of this virus but may not develop any growth themselves. They can however transmit this virus to other individual.

Children and young people seem to be most susceptible to this virus, though it can really affect anyone. The virus is most contagious in its very early stages. However, anyone with a history of HPV can spread it. Sometimes years can go by before warts appear as a result of the infection.

HIV or medications that suppress the immune system make people much more susceptible to this virus and so increase the likelihood of developing warts.

If a person is healthy and active, sometimes the immune system can destroy the wart on its own. A healthy diet may also help to strengthen the immune system.

HPV has been associated with warts but in recent years it has been discovered that it can cause certain types of genital cancers and abnormal growth in the eye as well.

The preferred habitats for the human papilloma virus are warm and moist environments. It can easily be found in places where water is used such as bathrooms and swimming pool areas. It can also more easily be found in public places where water is used since such places are frequented by many individuals. These places include public shower floors, public swimming pool floors, gyms and locker rooms. It can also be found in shoes!

If you take the appropriate precautions you will decrease the chances to be contaminated with the human papilloma virus. Refrain to go barefooted in the areas described above a far as you can, especially if it is a public place.

Further more refrain from touching your wart and then touching another part of your body. This may transfer the HPV from that wart to other areas of your body and so contaminating that other part.

Juvenile Warts - What Are Their Characteristics and What Wart Removal Treatment May Be Used

A juvenile wart (also called flat wart) is in reality a benign tumor that causes no real or little physical harm. Juvenile warts are more commonly found in children and adolescents. They usually occur on the face, arms, hands and knees of young individuals.

They are caused by the human papilloma virus or HPV. This is a type of virus that can be found in moist and warm habitats. Therefore it may easily be found in bathroom floors and swimming pool areas.

It usually enters the body from little cuts in the skin. It is particularly important not to walk bare footed in communal showers or on wet floors near swimming pools, in order to limit exposure to the human papilloma virus.

The human papilloma virus is contagious and it can be transmitted form one person to another. Sometimes an individual may be a carrier of a virus for several months or even years until it develops into a wart. Because of this it is difficult to determine when the individual had got the virus.

Although juvenile warts pose no or very little health risk, they have the tendency to increase in number. So it is important to treat them as soon as possible.

Another important reason why they should be treated is that they may interfere with the self confidence of the kid or adolescent.

There are many over the counter wart removal treatments. Unfortunately many of these are not effective at all. Some of them may help to kill the wart but remember also that warts have a tendency to re-occur. Some type of wart removal treatment may also damage the skin.

A juvenile wart may also be removed by surgery. These may include:

• Electrosurgery
• Cryosurgery
• Laser therapy.

Electrosurgery uses a heated needle to remove warts. Such a process is however painful, even though aesthesia is administered to reduce pain. Perhaps one of the disadvantages of this wart removal treatment is that it generally leaves a scar.

Cryosurgery involves a process where the juvenile wart is frozen by an instrument. An anesthesia is usually also applied and you may need more than on session for completer removal of the same wart.

Laser therapy involves directing a powerful bean of light to the wart so to burn it. This type of treatment may be quite expensive especially if you have a large number of warts.

Alternative and home treatments for warts may also be used to effectively treat your juvenile warts. Although some of these methods produce little results, others are known to be quite effective and have been used for many years.