Wart Removal Myths and Misbeliefs

Wart is a common skin disorder caused by a virus called Human papillomavirus. They appear as small projections all over the body. Today, medical science have well developed to explain the pathophysiology of warts and to cure all kind of wart disorders using advanced treatment methods. However, some of us have wrong beliefs and assumptions regarding wart formation and its treatment.

Interestingly many of us believe that the projections in the body occur due to the action of creatures like toads, reptiles, spiders, insects etc. Like the same, there are many misconceptions regarding the treatment of warts. People all around the world do a lot of unscientific processes and procedures to get rid of warts. Some of these procedures are very dangerous and makes the condition worse. Some of the major fallacies regarding the wart removal are:

Wart removal using horsehair

We all know that Human papillomavirus cause warts, and the warts will not disappear until we destroy these viruses. Many people all around the globe believes that a thread tied in the base of the wart can cure the disease. For this procedure, people use different materials like threads, horse hair, women's hair etc to tie the warts. In fact, a wart is nothing but the unusual growth of skin itself and appears as small projections and it consist of nerves and blood vessels same as the other body parts.

Tying the base of a wart using thread or hair will block the blood vessels of the wart that supplies nutrients and oxygen to the tissues. Finally, after few days, the tissues die naturally. However, this miracle does not happen always. The effectiveness of this procedure is very slow and the wart does not cure completely. The base of the wart may still have thousands of Viruses. The presence of a single virus can produce another wart in the same spot.

Dissection/removal of the wart

Dissecting the wart is the worse method of treatment that bears heavy pain and delivers zero result. The removal of wart may be successful if we dissect the wart in its first stage of growth. At the first stage, the wart growth is limited to the superficial skin layers, so cutting the wart from the base may be successful. In later stage, when a wart increases in size, it spreads into the deeper layers of skin and dissection of the wart at this phase is of no use. Cutting big warts may enhance spreading of wart viruses to adjacent tissues. In case of blood vessel damage, huge blood loss and abscess may occur with heavy pain.

Burning the wart

Many people believe that burning wart is the best way to get rid of the disease. They think that the viruses die while burning the wart tissues. However, this is not true, as this procedure cannot guarantee 100% virus destruction. Just one virus left in the spot is enough to produce more warts. Human papillomavirus die only in extreme temperatures. In LASER therapy, medical practitioner burns the warts using high temperature developed with the help of strong beam of lights at sterilized settings. Burning the wart in home environment with unsterile traditional methods may damage the surrounding tissues and the protective layer of skin named stratum corneum, which acts as the first layer of defense against pathogens. The pathogens are able to invade our body through the burned skin walls and may cause severe infections.

Today, a number of effective wart removal methods are available in medical sciences, which prevents the recurrence of warts by destructing the virus completely.

Spider Veins: A Guide to Treatment and Prevention

What Are Spider Veins?

Spider veins on the legs are the small, annoying squiggly ones on your legs (the ones that make you think twice when ditching the hosiery in summer). They form when excess blood backs up in the blood stream; the body releases this pressure by developing new veins. Sadly, they are tough to prevent since they are mostly related to our genetics and hormones.

What Causes Spider Veins?

People with family history of spider veins are more likely to develop the same condition themselves. For this reason, if you suffer yourself, we recommend you pass this advice onto your daughters!

Women are more prone to spider veins than men, possibly because the superficial veins are closer to the surface of the skin and therefore more noticeable, but this also due to female oestrogen levels. Many women notice more spider veins occurring after starting a birth control or oestrogen replacement and certainly after child birth. Occupations that require you to stand still for long periods of time, i.e. hairdressers, teachers or shop staff can also be a factor.

How to Prevent Spider Veins

Treatments are available to remove spider veins, but as with everything, prevention is always better than cure! Here are our top tips:

• There may be a link to sun exposure, so applying a high SPF sun screen can help.


• Avoid standing for long periods of time. Move! Jog on the spot, practicing discreet heel lifts or go for it with star jumps! This will increase blood flow.


• Take regular exercise; your calf muscles pump blood out of your legs so use them more! Try walking, swimming or cycling regularly.


• If you have a desk job, move your ankles (flex and extend) 15 times every 30 minutes to pump blood out of your legs.


• Watch your weight! Being over-weight causes your circulatory system to work over time. This increases the inside pressure of the leg veins.


• Make a habit of not crossing your legs. Squeezing the legs in this way slows the upward flow of blood back to the heart and increases the pressure on the insides of the leg veins.


• Avoid high heels; they place excess stress on your lower legs can which can cause a constriction in blood flow from the leg back to the heart.


• Relaxing? Raise your legs up 6 to 12" above your heart when you are lying down. This allows the blood in the lower legs to flow easily back to the heart, and lessens the work of the valves.


• Reduce or remove salt in your diet; it can cause water retention and put pressure on veins.


• Ditch the non-stretch jeans and any clothing that restricts venous blood flow in your legs.


• If used regularly, horse chestnut, horsetail and witch hazel can help. Vitamin C will also be beneficial in your daily diet. These supplements will help strengthen the integrity of the capillaries, reduce inflammation and aid in healing.


• Instead of opaque tights, try compression stockings which offer graduated compression (tighter in the feet area, and looser up on the leg). These are stocked by most fashion hosiery suppliers.


• Get a leg massage. When you're next watching TV next to your loved one, get them working your calf muscles (tell them they are helping keep your legs beautiful!)

Laser Treatment for Spider Veins

Conventionally, veins are usually treated with surgery or sclerotherapy, which in itself can cause scaring, hyper pigmentation and brown staining and in some cases skin necrosis, the breaking down of the skin.

Spider veins can be successfully treated with the newest technology available today; the Fotona XP Max Nd:Yag, which doesn't have these risks.

This is also ideal for treating reticular veins and thread veins because it provides minimal down time. This procedure is effective and efficient in between 1-3 treatments, depending on the depth of the veins and the overall skin condition. We also have the option of using IPL (Intense Pulsed Light ). IPL works much more effectively on finer veins associated with Rosacea.

This mixture of lasers and IPL s means that a wide variety of vascular concerns from:

• Deep blue veins
• Smaller surface thread veins
• Spider veins
• Rosacea

All these very common complaints can all be treated in an extremely efficient way here at the Clinic. There is no need for incision and it leaves no scarring. To achieve the best results however, most patients need a treatment that combines both IPL and Nd Yag.

At your complimentary consultation, one of our experienced and fully trained practitioners will assess your suitability for laser treatment, and will commence with a patch test as a further safety measure. They will then guide you through the treatment to ensure you are happy and informed, managing your expectations every step of the way to a beautiful clear complexion or vein free legs!

How to Get Rid of Warts

Warts is a very common skin condition. In most cases it is completely benign, except for genital warts which can in some cases cause cancerous changes and therefore should be treated immediately when spotted.

Warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) which nests itself in the top layers of skin, feeding on the blood from blood vessels and causing skin cells to grow together and form the unsightly growths that we recognize as warts. You can catch warts virus through skin contact with another infected person or anywhere in public place.

Warts usually disappear on their own within 12 to 16 months. In some cases warts can be stubborn enough to stay there for years. Warts virus is contagious and it can spread onto the surrounding skin and on the people around you so it is advisable to treat warts the moment you notice them.

Fortunately, there are numerous warts treatments. Some are performed by doctors and some of them can be performed at home. In case you decide to use home remedies you should first consult your GP to be completely sure that you have warts and not some other, similar condition.

You can get rid of warts in three ways: by undergoing professional treatment in the doctor's office, by using OTC remedies that you can purchase in the pharmacy or by using natural remedies that can be bought in a nearby supermarket.

Professional treatments performed by doctors are usually the fastest solution although most of them cause scars like surgery, laser surgery and electric needle. Cantharidin treatment, pulsed dye laser and Miquimod cream will leave no scars. Very popular and most commonly used method is cryotherapy, or freezing, but it can leave minor scars in more serious warts cases. Usually one to three visits to doctor's office is needed to eliminate warts.

If you decide to cure warts on your own, OTC remedies will prove to be practical and affordable solution for your problem. They come in the form of liquids, gels and adhesive discs that you can apply over your wart. The most effective are those containing salicylic acid but there are other containing castor oil and fruit acids and oils. You can also perform cryotherapy at home using applicators that you can purchase in the pharmacy, but make sure you follow the instructions that go with the product to avoid scarring. Depending on the remedy and the number and size of your warts it will take you several days to several weeks to get rid of them.

Natural remedies for warts are those that can be purchased in almost any market or pharmacy. Those remedies are: garlic, apple cider vinegar, Aloe Vera gel, castor oil, tea tree oil, zinc tablets, Thuja Occidentalis and some rather unusual remedies, like banana peel and duct tape. The treatment will take a few days to a few months depending on the remedy, type and number of warts. These remedies are affordable, have no side effects and in most cases the treatment is completely painless and suitable even for the small children.

Do not use OTC and natural remedies to cure genital warts without consulting your doctor first!

The best way to protect yourself from warts is to build strong immune system by consuming lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, spending time in the open air and taking regular exercises. People with dry skin are particularly susceptible to warts virus which can attack through the fissures in the skin. Hand cream and regular hygiene procedures will offer necessary protection.