A wart (also known as verruca) is generally a small, rough tumor, typically on hands and feet but often other locations, that can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister.

Warts are a type of infection caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. There are more than 100 types of HPV viruses. Warts can grow on all parts of body. They can grow on skin, on the inside of mouth, on genitals and on rectal area. Common types of HPV tend to cause warts on the skin (such as the hands and fingers), while other HPV types tend to cause warts on the genitals and rectal area. Some people are more naturally resistant to the HPV viruses and don’t seem to get warts as easily as other people.

Warts are common, and are caused by a viral infection and are contagious when in contact with the skin of an infected person. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or other objects used by an infected person. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can recur.

ETIOLOGY

  • Causative organism- human papilloma virus.
  • Transmission- autoinoculable, close contact, swimming pool.
  • Age- common in children, young adults.
  • Incubation period- about 90 days.

Types of wart

A range of different types of wart has been identified, varying in shape and site affected, as well as the type of human papillomavirus involved. These include-

Common wart (Verruca vulgaris)

A raised wart with roughened surface, most common on hands and knees.

LOCATION

  • Arms, hands, legs, feet, around nails.

LESION

  • Rounded or oval papules or nodules.
  • Discrete or grouped.
  • Grey or brown coloured.
  • Size varies from lentil seed to pea.
  • Surface corrugated(verrucous).
  • Consistency firm.
  • Warts around nails may be painful.

Flat wart (Verruca plana)

A small, smooth flattened wart, flesh coloured, which can occur in large numbers; most common on the face, neck, hands, wrists and knees.

LOCATION

  • Face, back of hands.

LESIONS

  • Multiple small papules.
  • Discrete.
  • Rounded, with flat tops.
  • Flesh coloured.
  • Size: 2-5mm.
  • Margins irregular.
  • Surface smooth.
  • Soft to touch.

Filiform or digitate wart

A thread- or finger-like wart, most common on the face, especially near the eyelids and lips.

LOCATION

  • Beard region, neck.

LESIONS

  • Long, thin, slender, finger like processess.
  • Spread by shaving by implantation.

Plantar wart (verruca, Verruca pedis)

A hard sometimes painful lump, often with multiple black specks in the center; usually only found on pressure points on the soles of the feet.

LOCATION

  • Ball of foot, heel.

LESION

  • Painful hyperkeratotic, circular plaque.
  • Usually single.
  • Size: 1-1.5cm.
  • Deeply set in flask shaped cavity, being wider at bottom.
  • Surface corrugated, rough.
  • Extremely tender.
  • Scraping of wart reveals bleeding points.

Mosaic wart

A group of tightly clustered plantar-type warts, commonly on the hands or soles of the feet.

Genital wart (venereal wart, Condyloma acuminatum, Verruca acuminata)

A wart that occurs on the genitalia.

DIAGNOSIS

  • Clinical.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

  • Education.
  • Reassurance.
  • Maintain personal hygiene.

HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT for Warts

Homeopathic Treatment

Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc. A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions. The medicines given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the treatment of this condition. The symptoms listed against each medicine may not be directly related to this disease because in homeopathy general symptoms and constitutional indications are also taken into account for selecting a remedy. To study any of the following remedies in more detail, please visit our Materia Medica section. None of these medicines should be taken without professional advice.

Homeopathic Remedies

The following homeopathic medicines are often found indicated in cases of warts: Antim-c, Bufo, Calc-c, Caust, Cinnab, Dulc, Ferr. pic, Lyco, Mag-s, Nat-c, Nat-m, Nit-ac, Ruta, Sil, Staph, Sul, Sul-ac, Thuja.

ANTIM. CRUD

It is the leading remedy for warts, and has great practical use in homoeopathy. The warts are situated especially on hands; they are hard, horny, soft or smooth, which characteristic stinging pain. Warts are surrounded by circle of ulcers. Warts tend to develop which are pron to pressure and friction, especially suited to individuals who have tendency to grow fat. Warts develop in individuals who have suppression of eruption or ulcers.

Horny excrescences. smooth warts, often soft. Ulcers breaking out around a wart. Tendency to grow fat. Worse warm weather – heat of sun. children can’t bear to be touched or looked at. Feels as if he had eaten too much. Heartburn with good appetite. Characteristic – while coated tongue.

For children and young people inclined to grow fat; for the extremes of life. Old  people with morning diarrhoea, suddenly become constipated, or alternate diarrhoea   and constipation; pulse hard and rapid. Sensitive to the cold < after taking cold.

BELLADONA

It plays a very useful role whenever warts are inflamed with burning pain. They are hot & tender to touch with characteristic throbbing pain.

Adapted to bilious, lymphatic, plethoric constitutions; persons who are lively and entertaining when well, but violent and often delirious when sick.

CALC. CARB.

Warts are present on face, neck & upper extremities, male genitalia, canthi, fingers. They are black & fleshy, hard & horny, sometimes inflamed & painful; the warts tend to suppurate. Giving an odour of stale cheese. The skin is icy cold to touch with cold & profuse perspiration. Development of warts in patient having history of suppression of eruption & perspiration. Development of warts in individual with scrofoulous diathesis with faulty development of bones. It has a typical physically constitution, i.e. fat, flabby, fair, perspiring, cold & damp.

Warts : round, soft at base, almost the colour of skin; upper surface hard, rough, whitish, horny. Wart appears, itches, bleeds & disappears. Warts : inflamed; stinging; suppurating; form ulcers. Warts thickly studding mouths of sheep. Calc. suits phlegmatic people; large head & features; pale skin & chalky look. Better dry weather, from being touched. Worse milk: from suppressed perspiration.

Leucophlegmatic, blond hair, light complexion, blue eyes, fair skin; tendency to obesity in youth. Psoric constitutions; pale, weak, timid, easily tired when walking.  Disposed to grow fat, corpulent, unwieldy.

CAUSTICUM

Warts are present on nose, eyebrows, face, lips, near the nail, tips of fingers, upper limbs. They are large, horny, broad, fat & hard, moist and pedenculated. They tend to bleed easily. They are also prone to easy suppuration. Warts are present in individual after suppressed eruptions.

Large, jagged, often pedunculated warts exuding moisture and bleeding easily. Small, non-pedunculated warts all over the body internal & external, and on eyelids. In caust., injuries which had healed become sore again. Years ago there was an epidermic of warts on calves at a little farm – cured by causticum. Caust. is worse cold, dry weather, in clear, fine weather. Better damp & wet weather.

Adapted to persons with dark hair and  rigid fibre; weakly, psoric, with excessively  yellow, sallow complexion; subject to affections of respiratory  and  urinary  tracts.

DULCAMARA

Warts are present on face, hands, fingers, close to nail; the warts are smooth, hard; they usually comes in crops; they always tend to aggravate when skin is washed with cold water.

In black type we find : warts, fleshy or large, smooth on dorsum of hands and on face. Dulc. is one of our very great skin medicines. Typical dulc. is worse from exposure to damp cold weather or air – a cellar or dairy. A few years ago, dulc. cured for a patient a big wart on right lower lids, not easy to see over. Big warts on face can be very trying, yet, with ‘the remedy’, they just drop off. Dulc. in one’s mind, stands especially for warts & for umbilicalpain or eruptions.

Aggravation of sufferings, chiefly in the evening or at night, an during repose, better  by movement. Pains with coldness of the body.

NAT-MUR.

The warts especially situated on palms, hands & knuckles. There is a cutting pain in wart, the look of the skin is oily, dry, harsh, unhealthy or yellow. Tendency to develop warts in individual after cautery with silver nitrate.

For the anaemic and cachectic, whether from lots of vital fluids- profuse menses,  seminal losses- or mental affections. Great emaciation; losing flesh while living well. Throat and neck of children emaciate rapidly during summer complaint. Great liability to take cold. Irritability: child cross when spoken to; crying from slightest   cause; gets into a passion about trifles, especially when consoled with. Awkward ,  hasty, drops things from nervous weakness. Marked disposition to weep; sad weeping  mood, without cause, but consolation from others <. her troubles.

NIT. ACID

The warts appear on female genitals, anus, cervical region inside nose, external throat, sternum, eyelids, canthi. They usually develop after abuse of mercury. The following are the characteristics : moist, cauliflower like, hard, rhagadic, large, indented, inflamed, pricking pain < night. They emit foetid discharge, they bleed on touch.

Warts : sticking & pricking : on upper lip. Smart & bleed on washing; painful to touch. Soft with thin epidermis and moist: large, jagged, often pedunculated, exuding moisture & bleeding readily : condylomata, etc. splinter – sensations anywhere. Worse : touch, jar, cold at night.

SILICEA

The warts are situated on throat, upper limb, back and forearm. They are large, fleshy & suppurating. They are painful to touch. Development of warts in individual with scrofulous diathesis. The patient is keenly sensitive to noise, pain and cold.

Adapted to the nervous, irritable, sanguine temperament; persons of a psoric  diathesis. Persons of light complexion; fine dry skin; pale face; weakly, with lax muscles. Constitutions which suffer from deficient nutrition, not because food is lacking in  quality or quantity, but from imperfect assimilation; oversensitive, physically and mentally.

SULPHUR

Warts are situated on face, near eyelids, on upper lip. Warts covered with thin epidermis. The appearance of the skin is dry, rough, wringled and scaly. Warts alternate with other complaints. Suppression of warts leads to asthma.

Callous warts; especially around the fingers. Itching eruptions, or itching skin; ‘feels so good to scratch.’ Fantastic illusions : everything seems beautiful : as an old rag or stick. Redness about anus- red eyelids. Perspiration of single parts : of back part of body. Flushes of heat. Heaviness, abdomen; as if it needs to be bandaged or supported. Sulphur sometimes feels small, sometimes largs.

Adapted to persons of a scrofulous diathesis, subject to venous congestion; especially of portal system. Persons of nervous temperament, quick motioned, quick tempered,  plethoric, skin excessively sensitive to atmospheric changes. For lean, stoop-shouldered persons who walk and sit stooping like old men. Standing is the worst position for sulphur patients; they cannot stand; every standing position is uncomfortable. Dirty, filthy people, prone to skin affections. Aversion to being washed; always <. after a bath. Too lazy to rouse himself; too unhappy to live.

THUJA

Warts are situated on back, cervical region, upper limb, face, nose, eyebrows, eyes, eyelids, external throat. They are broad, conical, flat pedunculated, indented, fan shaped in appearance. They are reddish in colour, bleed easily. The warts have a tendency to split from their edge or from the surface.

Warts on any part of body, with little necks called fig warts; tubular warts; i.e. long warts of the same size all the way out. Wart-like excrescences on back of hand, on chin and other places. Warts and condylomata, large, seedy & pedunculated; sometimes oozing & bleeding readily. Effects of vaccaination. Dreams of the dead : of falling.

Adapted to hydrogenoid constitution of  Grauvogl. Acts well in lymphatic temperament, in very fleshy persons, dark complexion, black hair unhealthy skin.  Ailments from bad effects of vaccination; from suppressed or maltreated gonorrhoea. Fixed ideas: as if a strange person were at his side; as if soul and body were separated;  as if a living animal were in abdomen; of being under the influence of a superior power.