Most Common Mistakes in Wart Treatment in Bayraklı
Bayraklı, İzmir’s skyscraper district, the heart of commerce and a symbol of modern life, has a dynamic structure with its ever-increasing population and intense work pace. The enclosed office environments in the plazas, the common areas in the gyms, the density of public transportation, and İzmir’s characteristic humid air unfortunately create a suitable environment for the spread of some dermatological problems. At the forefront of these problems are “Warts” (Verruca), a contagious health problem affecting both adults and children, beyond aesthetic concerns. Many people initially disregard these small, bumpy growths on their skin, but seek solutions when they multiply or become painful. However, our clinical observations in Bayraklı show that “mistakes” made in wart management can lead to problems bigger than the wart itself. Hearsay information, homemade remedies learned from the internet, or delaying treatment by thinking “it will pass” are causing the virus (HPV) to spread to wider areas.
Warts are formed when a family of viruses called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) settles in the upper layer of the skin. This virus alters the genetics of the cells it enters, causing them to multiply uncontrollably. Therefore, a wart is not simply a piece of flesh, but a “living” viral infection. Any intervention that ignores this biological fact is prone to error. Now, let’s address the most common mistakes made by residents of Bayraklı one by one.
Error 1: Waiting and Thinking “It Will Pass Anyway”
The most common and dangerous mistake regarding warts is the “wait and see” strategy. While some types of warts, especially in children, may go away on their own, this is very rare in adults. As long as a wart is present on your skin, it is an active “source of virus.” While you wait, the virus doesn’t stay silent:
- It can spread to other areas of your own body (auto-inoculation).
- It can infect your family, spouse, or other individuals in the gym.
- It can grow in size, becoming a more difficult and lengthy process to treat.
Especially in an area with high social interaction like Bayraklı, every untreated wart is a risk factor for public health.
Error 2: Using Acid and “Wart Strips” at Home
Acidic solutions and wart strips, which are sold without a prescription in pharmacies or ordered online, may seem like a practical solution at first glance. However, the uncontrolled use of these products carries the risk of creating “chemical burns” rather than eliminating the wart. The boundary between wart tissue and healthy skin tissue may not be clearly distinguishable to the naked eye.
Risk of Tissue Damage: Uncontrolled application of acids can burn the healthy skin surrounding the wart, causing deep wounds, infections, and permanent scarring. Worse, acid application may only dissolve the top layer of the wart, leaving the virus alive at the root. This “wounded” virus can multiply more aggressively as a defense mechanism, and the wart can return larger than before.
Mistake 3: Picking, Cutting, and Filing
The discomfort or aesthetic appearance of a wart may lead a person to pick or cut it. This is one of the biggest mistakes one can make. When a wart bleeds or is picked, millions of virus particles inside are released. They spread to surrounding tissues through the bloodstream or by settling under fingernails.
Biting or picking at warts, especially those around the fingernails (Periungual Verruca), can cause the virus to spread to the area around the mouth. Also, abrading warts on the soles of the feet with bath stones or files means that the next use of that file can transfer the virus to healthy skin.
Error 4: Not Being Careful While Shaving
For men in Bayraklı, the presence of warts in the beard area, and for women, in the leg area, can turn the shaving routine into a nightmare. Shaving over a wart breaks the wart into microscopic pieces and spreads the virus across the entire surface or leg via the razor blade. A single wart can turn into hundreds of tiny warts (Verruca Plana – Flat Warts) after one shave. If you suspect you have warts in the shaving area, you should immediately stop using a razor and switch to electric trimmers, a method that doesn’t involve direct contact with the skin.
Home Remedies vs. Professional Approach Table
Below is a comparison of folk remedies such as “fig milk,” “garlic,” and “prayer” with medical methods. Scientific facts will guide you to avoid wasting time.
| Features | Home Remedies / Hearsay Information | Professional Medical Approach (Cryotherapy / Laser) |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism of Action | Generally based on irritation, no scientific evidence. | By freezing or heating the infected celldestruction. |
| Risk of Infection | High (Can spread through bleeding and irritation). | Low (Performed in a controlled environment). |
| Risk of Scarring | High (Chemical burn, infection). | Minimum (Tissue-sparing techniques). |
| Process | Uncertain, may take months. | Planned sessions, controlled progress. |
| Recurrence | Very common (Root (remains). | Less common (Immunity is triggered). |
Error 5: Failure to Maintain Consistency (Missing Sessions)
Wart treatment (Cryotherapy, Electrocautery, or Laser) is generally not a process that ends in a single session. The reservoirs of the virus in the deep layers of the skin can be stubborn. The wart may fall off after the first treatment, but the virus may still be waiting in “sleep mode” (latent).
Not attending the follow-up sessions determined by the doctor, or stopping the treatment halfway by saying “I thought it was gone,” is the biggest cause of relapses. Treatment should continue even after the wart has completely disappeared, until the doctor says “it’s clear now.” Patience is the most important medicine in this process.
Bayraklı’s Humid Air and Protection
Due to its proximity to the Gulf of İzmir, Bayraklı has a humid climate. Humidity can cause the skin to macerate (soften) and become susceptible to viral entry. Sweating or keeping feet wet, in particular, invites plantar warts (Verruca Plantaris). Avoiding walking barefoot in shared showers, pool areas, or gyms is a simple but vital precaution for those living in this area.
Conclusion: Don’t Joke with Viruses
In conclusion, most mistakes made in the treatment of warts in Bayraklı stem from underestimating the problem or attempting to “solve it yourself.” HPV is not a virus to be taken lightly. Time lost due to incorrect interventions allows the virus to take deeper root and develop into a more difficult-to-treat condition.
That small bump on your skin is actually just the tip of the iceberg. To melt this iceberg, the healthiest and most lasting way is to rely not on hearsay, but on the power of science—cold (cryotherapy) or heat (laser)—and the guidance of a qualified physician.
