Warts and All: Myths and Misconceptions about Warts
The reality of these viral villains and what to do about them (if anything)
When patients arrived to my clinic wearing gloves or contorting into positions to awkwardly hide their fingers or knees, I always suspected warts. Folklore might depict warts as harmlessly teetering on the tip of a witch’s nose or on the back of a hairy toad, but sprouting these stubborn growths is common, and it can feel isolating and, at times, depressing. Unfortunately, there’s no quick remedy.
Most people will have at least one wart at some point in their lives. About 10% of the adult population has a wart at any given time, and in schoolchildren, nearly 20%.
Because warts are usually harmless, and most go away within a of couple years, deciding whether to treat them or not can be a conundrum. If you decide to wait it out, the warts can enlarge, increase in number and spread. But if you choose to treat them, therapy can be costly, painful, and time consuming. In addition, people often waste time on remedies that don’t work. So, let’s clear up the confusion and take a closer look at warts and what to do about them.
