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" Question My 11-year-old son has about eight flat warts around his mouth and he is constantly licking them.  They are very unsightly and I have been told just to leave them and they will go away after a few months &amp;amp;#8211; do you know of any alternative to this?  I am prepared to try alternative methods of treatment.   Answer I can appreciate that if you think the warts on your son&amp;#039;s face look unsightly you will want to get rid of them, but if you try to treat them you may do more harm than good.  Most of the treatments used for warts on other parts of the body are not recommended for the face because the skin here is more sensitive and there is a real possibility of causing scarring.  However, if the warts on your son&amp;#039;s face are plane warts (which are usually one to three millimeters in diameter, pink or brown in colour, barely raised above the skin surface and with a flat top) they may improve with treatment using tretinoin cream.  This medication is more commonly used in the treatment of acne but it has also been used for plane warts.  Tretinoin cream needs to be applied every day for many weeks and may cause some dryness and redness of the skin, and you can only get it on prescription from a doctor.  I&amp;#039;m sure you will find a number of complimentary therapies which are said to be useful in the treatment of warts but most, if not all, will never have been tested in proper scientific trials so there is probably no real evidence to support such claims.  The vast majority of warts will disappear with time (although it can take months, even years, before they do). The main advantage of leaving the body&amp;#039;s own immune system to deal with the virus that causes warts is that you can be sure there will be little or no scarring left after the warts have gone. Yours sincerely The NetDoctor Medical Team   Other Q&amp;amp;As  A cream for children Baby&amp;#039;s dry skin Child with eczema Cradle cap Does baby acne require a visit to the doctor? Eczema and dairy allergy Eczema and septic arthritis Fine, dark hair on my daughter&amp;#039;s back Help for eczema I think my son has cradle cap I&amp;#039;m worried about my son&amp;#039;s dry skin My baby has eczema My child suffers from severe eczema My daughter has warts My daughter is losing her hair My daughter is scratching herself to bits My eight year old has hairy legs My granddaughter pulls her hair out My granddaughter is tearing her hair out My son has impetigo &amp;amp;#8211; when is it ok to go swimming? My son has boils My son has lots of warts My three year old has grey hair My young daughter is going grey No relief from verruca Olive oil for cradle cap: is there an alternative? Wart worries What are the marks on my daughter&amp;#039;s back? What can I do about my daughter&amp;#039;s excessive body hair? What is a nit? What is epidermolysis bullosa? Where can I find lanolin-free sun cream? Will impetigo reappear?   Last updated 04.10.2011 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ask-the-expert/pregnancy-and-family/a9431/my-son-has-warts/>