Q: I am 20 years old. I have warts on my scalp only. They are present since 1 year. Initially they were 7-8 in number. They were painless and slightly bled if they were scratched. I consulted a skin specialist who removed all of them by cautery (surgical procedure). But after some days I developed one wart at its old position again with the same symptoms. I have been applying salicyclic acid frequently but it gives only temporary relief. I’ve stopped its use. Please tell me the possible cause of my warts and its remedy? Is it permanently curable? Is homeopathy helpful? I also have idiopathic hypertension since 2 years and taking drugs for it.

A:Your statement I have warts on my scalp only. They are present since 1 year can be interpreted in 2 ways. One inference is that you have warts since the age of 1 year. The other is that you are having them for last one year. If they are present since the age of 1 year, it is very unlikely that they are warts. It may be a congenital problem. It may require a biopsy for confirmation and then perhaps a total excision. On the other hand, if you are having them for last 1 year, then they are likely to be warts. Warts are viral infections. There is no medicine, which will eradicate the infection from your skin. With the conservative or aggressive method of treatment, you destroy only the visible diseased portions of the skin. In no way can you find out which area of normal appearing skin has dormant virus particles, which can get activated any time and produce clinically visible lesions. This is the most common explanation for relapse. The situation is akin to removing wild plants from your garden; you remove the plants you see but cannot remove the seeds. You cannot see where they are in the soil. They are likely to sprout at some point of time and the cycle is likely to go on unless you act promptly.