1. From a Virus Not a Frog
Common warts come from a virus not from touching a frog. The human papillomavirus is responsible for nearly all warts. Some people have more natural resistance to HPV and never get warts. Others get warts regularly. The HPV virus can cause warts anywhere on your body. Different types of HPV cause warts in different locations. Warts grow on hands, inside the mouth and in the genitals or rectal area.
2. Keep Warts to Yourself
Warts are contagious, and the wart causing virus can spread from one person to another. The best way to avoid spreading warts throughout a family is to get treatment. Most common warts respond to over the counter medication. More stubborn warts might need a trip to the dermatologist. Dermatologists actually freeze warts off; while over the counter medications dissolve warts over time. The best over the counter medication for warts is salicylic acid. This comes in medicine filled disks or liquid.
3. Take your Time
Stubborn warts take quite a while to get rid of. Most over the counter medicines require application for several weeks. With each treatment the wart reduces in size as dead skin cells flake off. The important thing is to keep the wart covered throughout treatment. This helps prevent the virus from spreading and causing more warts.
4. Use Protection
Just like warts on the hands, warts in the genital area are highly contagious. People with active cases of genital warts should not have unprotected sex. It's important to see your doctor regularly as women can get warts on their cervix and may not even know it. A physician must treat genital warts. There is no cure for the virus that causes genital warts, so even after treatment or laser surgery, they may come back.
5. Most Go Away
Most warts found on the skin go away with proper treatment and don't come back. Some people stop treatment when they can no longer see the wart. After a few days, the warts pops back up again. This is most likely not a new wart; the old one just wasn't really gone. When the wart is no longer visible one good way to tell if it's gone is to lightly push down on the area. If you can still feel pressure from the wart under the skin, continue treatment until the area feels completely smooth and wart free. Genital warts are much harder to eliminate due to the location and the constantly moist environment.
