Personal stories about how several people decided to treat warts
These stories are based on information gathered from doctors and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.
Kevin, age 40: My 12-year-old son Jeff has warts on several of his fingers. They don't seem to bother him too much, but his sister thinks they are "gross." I think he doesn't want to do anything about them because he likes to tease her. I asked our doctor if there was any reason to treat them. He said there really wasn't and that Jeff would probably outgrow them as he gets older. Our doctor also said to keep in mind that warts are contagious, and Jeff's sister might catch them, too.
Leslie, age 22: At first I didn't know what the growth on my toe was. I never had warts when I was a kid. But when I kept stubbing it on things and making it bleed, I decided I should probably do something about it. So one day when I was seeing my doctor for something else, I asked her to take a look at it. She said it was definitely a wart and "I can freeze it off right now if you don't mind a little pain, or you can try a nonprescription product that will take longer." I knew I wouldn't stick with the home treatment for more than a few days, so I agreed to the freezing.
Claire, age 50: I was nervous about doing anything like freezing or surgery to the bottom of my foot. I'm on my feet all day at work, and I hated to take a day or two off just to have a wart treated. But my plantar wart was sort of nagging me, so I used a nonprescription product, pads, and a pumice stone for several weeks. It was a slow process, but it gave me an excuse to spend a few minutes in the bathroom by myself every night!
LaMar, age 45: Some people think that warts are no big deal, but the warts on my feet have caused all sorts of grief. I've had them burned off and frozen off, tried home treatments, even tried the old banana peel remedy, and they just keep coming back. I know they aren't going to kill me, but they sure are a pain in the neck—make that a pain in the foot! I'm ready to try some injections that the doctor says may work. I have to have them once a week for a couple of months.
| Author: | Sabra L. Katz-Wise Ralph Poore | Last Updated: October 20, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology | |
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