Wart

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have a wart on my arm. It started out as a red dot then suddenly just grew big.  I tried to take it out which caused it to bleed.  Now it has gotten red and painful.  Should I be worried?  I read that warts usually go away by itself.  So I’m hoping I can give it time to just disappear.

Jesse

Dear Jesse,

Warts can be harmless and may go away by itself.  It is caused by the human papilloma virus. Like other virus, the wart has a possibility of resolving over time. However, it can also spread or become infected before disappearing.  Which in your case, it really sounds like it has become infected.

Manipulating a wart is super tempting!  Most people tweak it with their fingers or sometimes use a nail cutter, nipper, cigarette butt or tweezers.   When the surrounding skin starts to become pink or red and starts to be raised or swollen, an infection is starting to form.  This has to be treated with antibiotics.  Removal of the wart should then be scheduled.

What happens if you don’t treat the infected wart? Worse case scenario is that the infection could spread and ultimately lead to an infection in the blood.  Best case scenario is that if you have a strong immune system, the infection will be contained with antibitoics (ointment or tablet form) and the wart will eventually go away.

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Dear Dr. Jen,

I noticed that my left armpit has a stronger smell than my right side. Is this possible?  Does food choice play a role? What deodorant can kill the odor best?  I’ve tried a few brands and none have worked.

Pat

Dear Pat,

Strong body odor or bromhidrosis can dominate in one underarm.  Sweat by itself is not smelly.  The cause for the odor is the presence of bacteria that breaks down the sweat in the armpits.  Excessive sweating may potentiate the condition.

Some foods can contribute to the odor, like onion, garlic, alcohol and curry.  There are also some metabolic conditions that can be associated with it such as phenylketonuria.

Use of topical antibiotics that is prescribed by your PDS dermatologist will usually get rid of the smell in a few weeks.  Using antiperspirants with aluminum salts will decrease the sweating. Good hygiene and shaving (or doing laser) to get rid of the hair can minimize growth of the bacteria. Make sure skin is unbroken when using the antibiotics and antiperspirant.