Cantharidin Wart Removal
Cantharidin is a toxic chemical
compound that in nature is
secreted by many species of
blister beetle including the
Spanish fly. In diluted form it
can be an effective way of
removing warts and is also known
as the beetle juice wart treatment. Not all warts
need to be treated as many will
fade of their own accord, but
patients want them off their
body because they are
embarrassing, can sometimes be
painful, and are easily
irritated.
Cantharidin Advantage
The goal of any wart removal
treatment is to destroy the
troublesome growth without
causing scarring. The advantage
of using the cantharidin
treatment is that it
doesn’t leave behind any scar
tissue. Treatment involves a
doctor painting the compound
over the wart and then covering
the area with a bandage, which
is worn for 24 hours. A blister
forms and when it dries the wart
comes off with the skin. The
procedure is painless, although
the cantharidin blister may be painful for
several hours.
Cantharidin is sometimes used if
other treatments such as
salicylic acid or cryotherapy
have been unsuccessful, and it
should never be applied on
moles, birthmarks, warts with
hair growing from them nor the
genital area.
Cantharidin Success
A significant body of scientific
research exists that testify to
the compound’s effectiveness.
One famous study observed that
in 33% of patients peringual
warts disappeared completely
after just one treatment. Few
test subjects required more than
three treatments and a cure was
achieved in about 70% of cases
(Epstein J, Epstein W.
Cantharidin treatment of digital
and periungual warts. Calif Med
1960; 93 (1): 11-12).
In a more recent research paper,
published in April 2009 in the
Journal of Dermatological
Treatment scientists concluded
that cantharidin is a safe and
effective treatment when applied
to recalcitrant facial flat
warts. Fifteen patients took
part in the study and therapy
was performed for 4-6 hours
every three weeks. After
sixteen weeks warts had been
eradicated from every single
patient (Durmazlar S, et al.
Cantharidin treatment for
recalcitrant facial flat warts:
A preliminary study. Journal of
Dermatological Treatment 2009;
20 (2): 114-119).
Though the effectiveness of
cantharidin as wart removal
treatment has been observed in
peer-reviewed scientific papers,
the toxic compound from the
blister beetle has not yet been
approved for the treatment of
warts by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
Common
misspellings include :
cantharidine
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