What is Wart ? Benign epidermal proliferations or tumors out of which some are viral in origin. It can be located anywhere in the body.

Why does a wart develop? Warts are a result of infection with the DNA human pappilomavirus (HPV). Different subtypes appear to be responsible for several different clinical wart variants.

How does virus transmit ? Transmission is by direct contact with the viruus, in either lliving skin or fragments of shed skin and is encouraged by trauma and moisture.

Clinical features :Common warts appear initially as smooth, skin - coloured papules. As they enlarge, their surface becomes irregular and hyperkeratotic, producing the typical warty appearance. They are most common n hands but may also be seen on face, neck, genitalia and sun exposed surfaces of arm and leg. Multiple warts are common.

Types of warts ?

• common warts, which often appear on your fingers

• plantar warts, which show up on the soles of your feet

• genital warts, which are a sexually transmitted disease

• flat warts, which appear in places you shave frequently

Management : in children, warts often go away on their own. In adults, they tend to stay. If they hurt or bother or if they multiply, they are removed by either chemical skin treatments , various freezing, surgical and laser treatments. But they usually tend to reoccur.

How does homoeopathy treat differently ? Homoeopathy in cases of warts and any such type of viral infections make the body capable to fight against these viruses. It helps to boost our immune system whch inturns fight against these virus. Once treated with homoeopathy, there are very minimal chances of relapse also. The homoeopathic drugs are given as per the constitution of the patient and location of the warts. Some of the frequently used medicines as per the position of the warts are :

• On face and eyelid : Caust., Calc. c, Nit ac

• On hands : Kali mur

• On palm : Nat m

• In crop, rough : Thuja

• Sides of fingers : Calc. c, caust, sep.

• Cauliflower like upper lip : Nit. ac

• Smooth and soft : Ant c

• Back of hands and fingers : Dulc.