Warts in children: remove and treat warts

warts in children

General

Warts (verrucae) are sharply demarcated, benign skin growths. They have different shapes and a rough scaly surface. They are transmitted by the HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), of which there are now over 100 known subtypes. In children, usually only common warts appear on the hands and feet. The incubation period can range from one to 12 months.

Causes of Warts

If your child’s immune system is weakened, warts can form more frequently. The viruses usually get into the upper layer of the skin through small injuries and cracks. The viruses can then nest there and after 6 weeks to several months the skin at the point of entry thickens and becomes calloused and forms growths. The viruses multiply in the infected skin cells and are then released again on the surface. This means that anyone who touches the wart can become infected.

The risk of infection is particularly high when the skin is wet and soft. So you have to be extra careful in the swimming pool. Your child’s skin then lacks the protective sebum film. But thin and dry skin is also a target for contagious viruses.

detect warts

Warts are easy to spot. They form proliferatingly in places on the skin. A distinction is made between flat warts and plantar warts. The latter form on the feet and grow inward. They are very painful unlike ordinary warts. The surface of the warts is rough and scaly, and sometimes you can see black dots in the center of the growth.

Remove and treat warts

Treatment depends on the wart type. For common warts, you can use wart tincture and wart plasters. These contain acids such as salicylic acid, monochloroacetic acid or lactic acid. This allows the skin structure caused by the virus to be etched away. But beware! The tincture must not get on healthy skin, otherwise you could injure it. It is therefore better to smear the skin around the wart with some zinc paste before the treatment.

Since the tinctures only ever destroy the top layer of the growth, the application has to be repeated again and again. Warts are very stubborn and tend to come back. In order to optimize the effect of the solutions, you have to remove the etched away layer of skin each time. It is best to do this with a pumice stone after your child has bathed. But caution is also required here. Don’t rub until it bleeds.

If the treatment is unsuccessful, you should see a doctor. There are still options to freeze, scrape, electrically scab, or laser the wart. Please never try to cut out the wart yourself. This would only increase the risk of infection.

Warts are contagious

Since wart infections are particularly common in the swimming pool, it is best for your child to wear bathing shoes. The skin should always be creamed so that a protective film forms. This prevents cracks in the skin that viruses could penetrate. If a wart does form, you can prevent it from spreading. To do this, you should dry the skin around the wart with another towel. The towel should also be changed at least once a week. You should also make sure that your child does not scratch the wart, as this increases the risk of spread.