Can trying at-home treatments for warts cause an infection?

Question

Hi doctor,

My boyfriend has suffered from hardwarts for two years and is quite concerned about it. He had started the at-home freeze treatment about a month ago but did not observe any positive results. He tried it again after ten days, and it still did not show any results. So he got an acid treatment gel. He uses a pumice stone to file his warts and then applies the acid twice daily. He has been doing this for the past couple of days. This caused a bad reaction, and now the condition of his hands is significantly worse. He has white discoloration around warts all over his hands. He reached out to the emergency medical care unit, but they asked him to see a skin specialist. Unfortunately, he does not have medical insurance right now. He will get it after two weeks. I am extremely worried about his condition. He is wearing latex gloves daily to prevent the spread of infection.

Kindly provide me with advice that will help us.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your query. I suggest you to visit a dermatologist at the earliest. You mentioned the patient had undergone freeze treatment and acid treatment. Both these procedures kill the virus in warts. But the existing infection may be due to the at-home self-treatments. I suggest you follow the instructions mentioned below -

Apply Fucidin (topical antibiotic) cream two times a day on the lesions.
Do not wear gloves all the time, which will increase the infection.
Consult a specialist, talk with them, and take the medications with their consent

Kindly attach pictures for further diagnosis and treatment.

I hope this has helped you out.

Thanks and regards.