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Original poster

DD(10) Has warts all over her fingers, is having them frozen off necessary?

36 replies

pinkbubble · 20/04/2008 00:09

She does have lots of them, I keep treating them, but all that seems to be doing is making them worse. The worse one is on the palm of her hand, its awful, obviously I do not tell her this but when you hold hands with her you can feel it. I am worried that other DC will tease.
She has got them on more or less every finger(excluding thumbs) some of her finger have 2 or 3 next to each other, some go down the side of her finger nail, when I looked yesterday, it looks like she has now got a nest growing on several of her fingers just below her nails. Poor thing!

I have made an appointment at the Drs but have to wait over 3 wks to see GP. I could get an appointment on the actual day if I ring at 8am, but didn't think it was an emergency, just feel really sorry for her!

Anyone with any advice?

PS DD first got the one on the palm of her hand at least 4 yrs ago!
My other DD had 2 warts and they have both gone.

OP posts:
milou2 · 20/04/2008 08:51

My husband had warts on his hands when I met him. I happened to have had a good experience with a painless liquid which I had put on a wart on my thumb. His warts went without any problem, or, more importantly, pain.

I had a verucca frozen several times as a child, it was agony, don't waste your time and emotions on that....

Good luck.

ps both my ds had veruccas on their feet and I used a painless liquid on them. They are clear now. An unexpected aspect of treating them was that the verruccas went after intermittent treatment, ie every few days for 10 days or so, then I forgot all about it for a couple of months, then another series of every few days treatments, followed by more maternal forgetting. It worked a treat.

sarah293 · 20/04/2008 09:01

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missmama · 20/04/2008 09:10

My DS(9) has hands exactly as you describe, all down his nails yuk.
We have been going to the docs for a couple of months, every fortnight to have them frozen of. It does not hurt him at all and we are down to the last 3 or 4 now from about 20.

If you have been treating tham at home them they are obviously bothering you. They may go if you carry on but if you have them treated at the docs they will go faster.

I am also having some done at the same time as my son and it really does not hurt.

chamaeleon · 20/04/2008 09:18

i took ds to the docs with one and was told they dont normally freeze them now because it can be painful (might be something to do with where you live whether or not they do it i guess), we were given the liquid to paint on. she said that once you trigger your immune reaction to the virus and get rid of one you can find they all disappear. she also said you can get wart tape which you just stick over the wart and they go - should have happened in about a month if it is going to work. problem with hands is you tend to wash it off so if she has any elsewhere that might work better. doc said the first trials were done with duct tape so that would do the same job.

littleboo · 20/04/2008 13:02

I was at a lecture the other day from a dermatology nurse specalist who said that there is research to suggest warts and verrucaes can be treated really well by covering with DUCT tape from the DIY shop. They don't know why or how it works and you have to leave it on for some time, but its an interesting thought

PosieParker · 20/04/2008 13:07

What have you used? my ds had two huge ones on his fingers and I used the stuff that you cover with plasters, gone in a week.

Original poster
pinkbubble · 20/04/2008 14:21

I have used cuplix gel, scholl freeze thing (DD didn't like that one bit and it didn't do anything. Think I had Salactol from the GP a couple of years ago when she only had a few.

OP posts:
Looby34 · 20/04/2008 22:01

pinkbubble - you will probably laugh your ass off at this but i used to have warts under my finger nails and someone told me i should eat a banana and rub the inside of the skin on the warts and bury the skin in the garden. i did - and they went. god knows why but i was thrilled. surely it is worth a go

Yorkiegirl · 20/04/2008 22:03

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Waswondering · 20/04/2008 22:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
pinkbubble · 20/04/2008 23:02

LOL at the banana skin! (what happens if you haven't a garden? Would it still work?)

Just feel really sorry for her, she has become quite self conscious. Think I will ask the Dr for his opinion, he is a very good Dr and doesn't just do things to make his life easier!

OP posts:
cluelessnchaos · 20/04/2008 23:04

I tried everything with my dd also 10, eventually I went downt he homeopathic route, i looked about online and other symtoms suggested she should use thuja, within 5 days all 12 warts had gone.

Original poster
pinkbubble · 20/04/2008 23:07

DH really doesn't believe in them, and is not happy to try things out on DD.

OP posts:
sussies · 20/04/2008 23:24

Gel off the doctor is the only thing that worked for dd.

waycat · 21/04/2008 06:27

Hi. I'm new to Mumsnet, but thought I would add my experience to this topic.
Both my DS's (now 13 and 12) had warts, several years ago now. It started with my youngest when he was about 9, and the GP did agree to freeze them off, which worked apart from one wart that was particularly stubborn, but eventually that went.

The same thing happened with my eldest, and although the GP agreed to 5 freezing sessions, some of the more stubborn warts were still there. The GP assured me that my DSs own imune system would kick in and get rid of them, and after a while that's exactly what happened.

I have never found the gels very effective. Infact, my GP said that the way you have to use the gels - applying it, and then picking at it before applying more - actually does more to spread the wart virus rather than getting rid of it.

I had alot on my hands, which is where my DSs got theirs from, holding hands, etc.... and I'm now pleased to say that it has been several years since any of us has had any more touble, so I guess it's safe to say that we have all built up natural imunity to the virus.

Good luck pinkbubble - I think that with a little patience and time hopefully your DD will also build up imunity.

Original poster
pinkbubble · 21/04/2008 08:07

Thanks WW, I thought that in time they would disappear, but so far nothing and its been at least 4 yrs! So I am wondering when/if her immune system will kick in.

She has never had veruccas.

OP posts:
ladytophamhatt · 21/04/2008 08:21

ds1+2 had about 8-10 each, ds2 had then on his face!
I spoke to teh doctor about freezing then but he wouldn't do it.
One evening I was thinking about them, DS2's were horrible and i thought I hadn't noticed them for a short while and wehn I checked them both in teh morning tey had all gone.
It was very strange...there wasn't even a mark left where they'd been!

I'm glad teh doc refused to freeze them because I had a few frozen once and it really bloody hurts!! I still have one and have had it for as long as Ive known Dh (13 yrs this yr!!)

Beetroot · 21/04/2008 08:22

Buy them off her
if she beleives it it will work

Beetroot · 21/04/2008 08:25

someone boughtmine off me years ago and it went witin a week

Beetroot · 21/04/2008 08:25

someone boughtmine off me years ago and it went witin a week

waycat · 21/04/2008 15:20

pinkbubble, it can take several years for the body to build up an imunity to the wart virus, but I have been assured by three seperate health professionals that in time it usually does happen.

Good luck!

fortyplus · 21/04/2008 15:24

Apparently they rarely last more than 2 years on children before the body build up immunity and they go away.

Adults , on the other hand, often get stuck with them for up to 10 years so it's worth freezing them off.

The most common way to catch them is through broken skin by sharing a towel with an infected person. So make sure dd has her own towel until they clear up and they won't get passed around the rest of the family.

noddyholder · 21/04/2008 15:25

Many transplant patients get warts and the body cannot get rid of teh virus I had 2 frozen on my leg and tehy came back.There was a junior doc at one of my last appointments and she suggested the duct tape much to the of my older consultant but it worked and leaves no scar Give it a go.I think starving them of oxygen kills the virus

emma1977 · 21/04/2008 15:26

I personally wouldn't freeze off warts on a child- too painful, particularly if multiple.

Salactol and wartner paint both work OK but can be a bit fiddly.

What I find work really well for multiple warts or verrucas is daily soaking with potassium permanganate solution. Your GP can prescribe the dissolvable tablets to put in a large volume of water in a glass/pyrex basin (not plastic because it melts!).

Original poster
pinkbubble · 21/04/2008 22:21

We have tried the salactol and a scholl product, also cuplix gel, yes its fiddley and I do not mind doing it but it never seems to make any difference. She hasn't managed to get rid of any yet! poor thing.

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