How to treat flat warts to achieve complete eradication
Flat warts are caused by skin infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) and are contagious. To completely eliminate flat warts, a comprehensive approach including daily care and prevention, medication, physical therapy, surgical treatment, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy can be adopted. If in doubt, it is recommended to seek medical advice in advance. Detailed analysis is as follows:
1. Daily Care and Prevention: Keeping the skin clean, avoiding scratching the warts, enhancing immunity, and preventing cross-infection can help prevent recurrence and spread of flat warts to some extent.
2. Medication: Topical medications such as imiquimod cream, acyclovir cream, salicylic acid ointment, tretinoin cream, tazarotene gel, and fluorouracil cream may be used to inhibit viral replication and promote shedding of the warts. These medications should be used under a doctor's guidance to avoid side effects.
3. Physical Therapy: This includes laser therapy, cryotherapy, and electrocautery, which use physical principles to directly destroy wart tissue, causing it to fall off. These treatments are suitable for flat warts of varying sizes and locations.
4. Surgical Treatment: For example, autologous wart immunotherapy, which involves implanting a patient's own wart tissue to stimulate the body to produce antiviral antibodies, is suitable for patients with severe or recurrent cases. Postoperative care and the risk of recurrence should be considered.
5. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): Using oral and topical herbal medicines and acupuncture to regulate immune function and eliminate the virus. Although the effect may be slower, TCM has fewer side effects and is suitable for long-term regulation.
It is recommended to take preventive measures in daily life and pay special attention to hygiene in public places to reduce the risk of disease transmission.