Freezing Off a Wart At Home v/s Doctor's Office

[robinb]

My 5 year old DD has had a wart on her finger for years. Her doctor said not to worry about it and it would go away, but if I wanted to have it removed I could. It hasn't gone away and now it is spreading! She has 2 warts on the same finger.

Has anyone tried the at-home freezing wart removal kit? Does it hurt? I don't know. Maybe I should just take her to her doctor. Does anyone have experience with wart removal? BTW, we can't use duct tape (which I hear really works) because she's on swim team and can't wear bandaids in the pool.

 

[Christine]

My son had the same problem when he was around 5. We let it go also, and they just spread and spread. I tried for months to do the at-home stuff and it never got any better. We finally took him into a dermatologist and they froze them off. The warts were so tenacious that it took us 3 separate trips to the doctor to get them off. The derm said that the longer you wait, the harder they are to remove. I guess they go deep. Since they have been there awhile and they are spreading, I'd probably just go to the doctor.

My son tolerated the procedure well enough. At first it's just very cold, but the longer they hold the stuff on there it starts to hurt. His were just so tenacious the doctor had to do it for a long period. He did not cry but he said that it did hurt.

 

[Serena]

Can you try the duct tape method? I've heard putting duct tape over it will kill it.

 

[oogieboogie]

I tried the freeze at home remedies, and they worked quite well. I used the wartner brand one and on the box it says just one application needed. Well... I found that not quite true. I had to apply it 2 or 3 times, but it did freeze it up and dry the suckers up.

It does sting quite a bit when you press it down, but it's sure worth it. I couldn't use the duct tape method since one of the warts was on my nose!

 

[disneygals]

I have been down this long road. Pediatricians say that they will eventually go away, it worked for my younger two, but not my oldest. We had this problem for years! I would absolutely go to a dermatologist and get it nipped in the bud now. The fingers are the hardest to do on your own, because it's difficult to keep band-aids on.

 

[cgcw]

We've been battling planters warts on my DS10's feet for what seems like forever.

We tried the freeze at home method -- it didn't work. DS would say it hurt when it was applied and although we all tried our best to have him stay still, it was difficult. I couldn't imagine a 5 year old tolerating it after seeing my 10 year old. JMHO.

We finally scheduled him for a dermotologist -- today was suppose to be his appointment but we had to reschedule as he's having his tonsils out in a couple of hours. We can't get in now until April.

We have been treating them with Compound W very religiously. Every night we apply another coat. Sometimes he'll soak his feet and DH will rub off some of the warts. Gross. But it seems to be working.

By the way, he started with 1. Now there are several on both feet.

 

[robinb]

Thanks everyone!

Can you try the duct tape method? I've heard putting duct tape over it will kill it.

I can't. She swims on swim team twice a week and she can't wear bandaids in the pool.

 

[chasbos]

cgcw - Do you have a good pharmacist near by? I hate taking my kids to the doctor when it is not a real emergancy so I use my pharmacist quite regularily. When my 2 kids had plantars warts I took them and he looked at them and made a solution to put on the wart and then cover it with a band aid. Within 2 days the whole thing fell out (root and all) and they were all better.

I do not know what he all mixed up but it was not a prescription from a doctor and it was much quicker.

I am also battling the warts right now with my 6 yo and we have tried all of the over counter meds - I think it is time for the duct tape.

 

[Jilliebean]

I would go ahead and take her to a dermatologist. We battled warts on my DD11's fingers last fall. We tried the Compound-W type treatments but they had no effect. I bought the at home "freezing" kits but when I got them home and read the instructions, I decided we weren't good candidates. DD is NOT the ideal patient. She does not believe in suffering in silence. Besides the price of the at home freezing kit was about as much as our insurance co-pay. I returned the kit to the store and we went to the dermatologist. It took 4 treatments (3 freezings, 1 laser) to get rid of them. The dermatogist said that warts on fingers can be tricky. You're lucky that the wart hasn't spread so you'll only be dealing with one!

 

[minkydog]

We've been battling with plantar warts on my daughter's foot for 2 years now, using every kind of product there is. Nothing worked for long and she kept getting new ones. As of Christmas she had 3 different wart sites that had multiple warts in them and were getting big and painful, so we gave up and took her to the dermatologist. So far she has had 4 treatments and needs one more to get the last one. These buggers are really deep. I wish we had gone to the dermatologist last year when there weren't so many, instead of waiting.

 

[chrissyk]

I had a persistent plantar wart from age 16 until a couple of years ago. I had it frozen off and it came back. I had it surgically removed (OUCH!!), and it came back. Eventually, I had it treated with a pulse-dye laser, and that worked.

Then, my DH got one, probably from using the same shower that I use. The laser didn't work as well for him, so our dermatologist told him to use Wartner every night, with duct tape over it (at night only with the duct tape). Worked like a charm! She doesn't need to wear the duct tape to swimming. Just have her do it at night. Hope this helps!

To the people who have kids with plantar warts...either have them use a different tub/shower from the rest of the family, or else have everyone wear their own pair of flip-flops in the shower. You CAN spread them, and they are horrid to try to get rid of once you have one.

 

[DisneyBug1995]

Both my DD9 and DS3 had them on their big toe. We used the bandaids with the wart medicine in them. My DD left hers on most of the time and it took about 2 months for it to disappear. My DS wouldn't leave his bandaid on so we could only put a bandaid on at night while he was sleeping. His took 4 or 5 months to disappear. My doctor told me they are caused by a virus that stays in your body for 3 or 4 years and it is common for warts to come back. So far we have been lucky and neither one has gotten any more warts.

 

[SC Minnie]

I had several growing up. One on my finger, another on my knee, and one on my chin (OK no jokes here ). I had then frozen off at the dermatologists several times until I was about 15. They always came back. My mother finally took me to this man who 'talked' them off. DH doesn't believe me but it worked. They went away and have not come back and no scars expect from the dermatologist freezing them.

 

[elgerber]

I have had no luck with the home freezing kits. I don't think they are as cold as the stuff they use at the doctors office. I had no pain at all with the home kids, but did have some pain when the doctor froze them. I would go to the doctors and see what they say.

 

[stevenpensacola]

I had several plantar's on my feet a few years ago. My primary doctor sent me to a foot doc for treatment. He said the warts were too large to burn, instead he used a small cheese-slicer like tool to remove the dead skin from the wart. He then applied some sort of chemical (which slightly stung) and a bandaid. I went back about every two weeks, about 4 visits, and they were gone.

You'd think the cutting of the wart would have been painful, but it was not.
It was absolutely amazing how much relief from the pain of the wart was gained by this method.

I've tried the wartner home freeze spray on a wart on my finger without much success. I've held the applicator on the wart for the time recommended, but it must not be long enough. Just seems to make the wart mad.

 

[disneysteve]

Just so you all know, what the dermatologist uses to freeze warts is not the same stuff that you can buy at the pharmacy. The doctor uses liquid nitrogen. I think that is more effective than the other stuff but the OTC stuff is still quite good and worth using.

 

[PlutoPony]

Similar experience as "stevenpensacola" with DS - plantar on the bottom of his heel (but thankfully not painful). Podiatrist has put the chemical on and it seems to have made significant progress in getting rid of it. We go back in a week and will re-evaluate from there.

Learned several things from dr. about this - they're caused by a virus (at least plantar), and any skin that comes off the wart carries the virus and can transmit it. The advice about the tub is good. We were also told that washing socks wouldn't completely get rid of any virus that's there, but we should microwave the socks for 5 sec. before putting them on to irridiate the virus. DS is also taking a prescription strength histamine blocker (like a Tagamet).

 

[robinb]

I just wanted to post an update. I made an appointment with my DD doctor after swim team season ends. I hope that we can make those warts go away!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

DS had one on his foot two years ago. We used compound W every night for a few weeks. One night he took the bandaid off and screamed--the whole wart came out with it! That sucker was LONG! It bled a lot and left a little hole in his foot for a while.
DD#1 on the other hand had one frozen summer of 2003. The doctor wanted to do two 30 second bursts but decided to keep going because she was squirming and screaming so loud! He joked later that he was deaf! All the nurses came to see what was happening! She has one now on her finger and we are using compound W but no real progress--her 13 year checkup is today and I'll be sure to bring it up.
Robin M.

 

[MerryPoppins]

DD had one on her foot that really hurt. We had it removed by a doctor before a trip to WDW. Timing was really tricky because she's a dancer and couldn't afford to be crippled for long and miss class.

DS has one right now on his foot and another on his hand. In the past he used Compound W and it worked, but was slow. Someone explain the duct tape proceedure. You just cut a small piece and cover the wart? He'd have to remove the tape in order to swim each day - that's not a problem? Do you put medicine on first? How quick does this work?