As the skin ages, it begins to take on several common occurring benign growths. Their removal is mainly for cosmetic reasons, though some lesions can be pre-cancerous. A common lesion, the senile wart, or seborrheic keratosis is commonly removed with cryosurgery, freezing, or laser therapy. Each of these processes can be time consuming and costly due to the occurrence of more than one lesion.
Vitamin D3 has been used topically to treat a number of skin conditions, including psoriasis. Its ability to decrease inflammation made it a perfect candidate for a therapeutic trial to treat senile warts. A study from Japan was published this summer that documented the efficacy of 3 Vitamin D preparations at treating senile warts in the elderly.
The study enrolled 116 patients who applied topical Vitamin D to senile warts for a treatment period ranging from 3-12 months. Three different preparations of Vitamin D were among the choices for use including tacalcitol, calcipotriol, or maxacalcitol.
At completion of the study 30.2% showed complete disappearance in senile wart lesions. Another 46.6% showed a decrease in lesion volume between 40 and 80%. There were no side effects observed from treatment. No participants reported any swelling or redness to lesion, as can be common with treatments mentioned above.
In vitro experimentation with tacalcitol on tissue samples of senile warts revealed the possible mechanism as induced apoptosis. Meaning that the vitamin D cause cellular death of the tissue, resulting in decreases size of the lesion.
The authors conclude that topical Vitamin D is an efficient treatment choice for senile warts. It is low cost, can be done in own home, and does not negatively affect the quality of life.
Posted by Kristopher Foster on March 28, 2006 01:56 PM
