Understanding treatment options
Understanding treatment options
There are now a number of different treatment options available over the counter you should be familiar with to provide the best advice for your customers. There is no antiviral treatment for HPV, so treatment is through destroying the infected epithelium and potentially kick-starting an immune response via chemical or physical means.
| Physical2 | Chemical2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| CRYOTHERAPY | SALICYLIC ACID | FORMIC ACID | |
What it is |
At-home cryotherapy is based on the freezing method GPs traditionally offer. With recent payment changes, some GPs no longer offer this service. Examples include liquid nitrogen and dimethyl ether propane (DMEP) gas mixture. | A keratolytic compound that slowly destroys the virus. | A biodegradable, organic compound that is corrosive in itself. However, in the treatment of a wart it acts to dehydrate. |
How it works |
Freezes the wart at sub-zero temperatures. This causes necrosis (cell death), destroying the wart. | Causes epidermal exfoliation so the skin layer and viral core are removed. It may also stimulate an immune response. | Dries the wart from the inside out. Over time, this causes the body to gently reject the wart. When used correctly, formic acid does not scar the skin or cause infections. |
Application |
The freezing agent is briefly applied directly to the wart using a special device. Typically, cryotherapy is a one-off treatment and usually requires just one application (but may need to be repeated depending on size or age of wart) | The solution is applied to the wart/verruca once a day at night. The residual film should be removed before the next application. Once weekly the lesion should be filed down. | The solution is applied to the wart once a week and is absorbed directly into the wart. |
Treatment time |
The wart usually falls off in 10-14 days | Up to 12 weeks | Usually 5-15 treatments needed (4-12 weeks) |
| Physical2 | |
|---|---|
| CRYOTHERAPY | |
|
What it is |
At-home cryotherapy is based on the freezing method GPs traditionally offer. With recent payment changes, some GPs no longer offer this service. Examples include liquid nitrogen and dimethyl ether propane (DMEP) gas mixture. |
|
How it works |
Freezes the wart at sub-zero temperatures. This causes necrosis (cell death), destroying the wart. |
|
Application |
The freezing agent is briefly applied directly to the wart using a special device. Typically, cryotherapy is a one-off application that can be reapplied if needed. Usually one application is needed (may need to repeat treatment depending on size or age of wart) |
|
Treatment time |
The wart usually falls off in 10-14 days |
| Chemical2 | |
|---|---|
| SALICYLIC ACID | |
|
What it is |
A keratolytic compound that slowly destroys the virus. |
|
How it works |
Causes epidermal exfoliation so the skin layer and viral core are removed. It may also stimulate an immune response. |
|
Application |
The solution is applied to the wart/verruca once a day at night. The residual film should be removed before the next application. Once weekly the lesion should be filed down. |
|
Treatment time |
Up to 12 weeks |
| Chemical2 | |
|---|---|
| FORMIC ACID | |
|
What it is |
A biodegradable, organic compound that is corrosive in itself. However, in the treatment of a wart it acts to dehydrate. |
|
How it works |
Dries the wart from the inside out. Over time, this causes the body to gently reject the wart. When used correctly, formic acid does not scar the skin or cause infections. |
|
Application |
The solution is applied to the wart once a week and is absorbed directly into the wart. |
|
Treatment time |
Usually 5-15 treatments needed (4-12 weeks) |
Job number: END-2019-0302 Date of preparation: July 2019