Lip Warts
Education Regarding Lip Warts
Although unsightly and sometimes painful, lip warts are actually more common than most people realize. Typically, these warts are caused by the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. In fact, this virus is linked to more than 100 different kinds of warts with about 30 of those being Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs. On the other hand, lip warts, sometimes called “flat warts” are not an STD.
In most cases, lip warts are found on the lips, thus the name, but they can appear on the chin, cheeks, forehead, neck, arms, and hands. Because growths could be a number of things, both benign and malignant or cancerous, if they do not go away on their own within a week or two, the person should be checked by a doctor. Most often, the wart is nothing more than a simple growth.
When a person develops lip warts, they need to avoid picking them, which could cause inflammation, swelling, bleeding, and even infection. In fact, depending on the exact type of wart, scratching would release liquid inside that is highly contagious. With this, any other area of the body touched or if the person touched another person’s skin without first washing his/her hands, other warts would develop.
For treating lip warts, it is essential that people avoid using over-the-counter wart removing products. These products are formulated for warts on less delicate skin so when used on the lips or face, they can actually leave serious scarring, cause irreversible damage, or even create a deformity. Instead, special medicine would be needed from the doctor.
If lip warts are small, doctors can use a number of different medicines and non-invasive treatments. However, there are times when laser treatment provides the best remedy. In this case, laser is 95% effective and it is safe. The only downside to treating lip warts with a laser treatment is that most insurance companies do not cover the expense. Therefore, to have the wart removed with this method means the individual would be responsible for the full expense.
Remember, people of both genders and at any age can develop lip warts. Again, if left alone, these small bumps will often go away on their own but if not, several treatment options are available. Another troubling aspect of lip warts is that depending on the area of the face where the wart has grown, it may actually have one or more coarse protruding hairs. Obviously, the wart alone is bad enough but now with hair, people feel embarrassed and self-conscious.
While medication or treatment would be needed to remove initial lip warts, people can do a number of things to prevent new warts from growing. Since most warts are the result of a virus, it is important for people to wash and sanitize their hands after touching things, especially things in public such as the handles of shopping card, doorknobs, toilet handle, etc. In addition, people need to eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, get adequate sleep, and try to avoid stress. The goal is to live a healthy lifestyle and get treatment when needed.