4 out of 5 Australian adults report having suffered from a wart infection at least once. Warts are rampant among children as well – affecting 22% of 4-year-olds and 24% of teenagers in Australia. Although a majority of warts disappear without medical intervention, they can be unsightly and obstruct day-to-day functioning. Therefore, many patients prefer to undergo treatment, such as Swift Wart Therapy, to remove warts promptly and effectively.
Everything About Warts
What are warts?
Warts are benign growths that can occur in different parts of the body. They are a result of a viral infection caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are highly infectious.
How can you get warts?
HPV can infect anyone whose skin is damaged by cuts or blisters. Children and the elderly may be especially at risk. You can develop a wart if you come in direct contact with another wart. You can also contract them by touching a contaminated surface – such as a doorknob, towel, and razor. Warts can develop on the feet (known as plantar warts) if you walk barefoot on wet surfaces, such as near swimming pools and gym showers.
How can you prevent it?
You can minimise the risk of HPV infection by getting a vaccine. Take the following precautions at swimming pools and gyms:
- Always wear footwear, and try to keep your feet dry.
- Avoid sharing towels and other personal items.
- Do not bite your nails or hangnails.
How can you recognize a wart?
Warts on the hands are round bumps that may be slightly lighter in colour than your normal skin. Warts on the feet are white with dark spots in the middle. Genital warts, which are contracted through unsafe sexual practices, are almost exclusively on the genital area. Consult a health practitioner who will diagnose accurately and will guide you through appropriate treatment.
How can you treat warts quickly?
While you can take over the counter medication – such as a salicylic acid cream—to dissolve your wart, this process can take months to give you a satisfactory result. A new and effective alternative is the Swift microwave therapy.
Swift Wart Therapy:
- Swift is a microwave therapy that’s proven highly effective in treating plantar warts. Infected tissue can extend several millimetres below the surface and cannot be effectively treated by topical creams. On the other hand, microwaves can penetrate the depth of the tissue and destroy it effectively.
- Is it safe?
Several factors make Swift therapy a safe alternative:
- It is administered by a licensed clinical practitioner using a precision probe with a disposable tip to minimise the chances of cross-infection. The probe also minimises the exposure of nearby healthy tissues to the microwave.
- Only low doses of energy are aimed at the tissue. The level of the dose can be adjusted by the doctor based on the requirement, making it safe for anyone.
- Microwave is non-ionising radiation, which means that it does not alter the DNA of living cells that it comes in contact with. It is only strong enough to agitate the water molecules in the tissue, which heat up and ultimately destroy the tissue.
What happens during treatment?
- Based on how severe your infection is, you may be asked to undergo treatment 3 to 4 times over the course of few weeks. Each session lasts about 5-10 minutes and is minimally invasive. You will generally not even require a bandage and can resume your daily routine almost immediately.
- You may, however, feel a stinging sensation for a few minutes after the application of the microwave. Typically you won’t need to complement the Swift treatment with any other medication.
Warts are extremely painful and can prevent you from walking normally, participating in sports – and in general, disrupt your routine. If you believe that you have plantar warts, consult your podiatrist right away and see if you are a suitable candidate for Swift therapy.