Wart Removal

What are Warts?

Warts are non-cancerous skin growths, which are caused by a viral infection in the top layer of the skin. They can appear anywhere on the skin, but they are most common on the hands and feet. Wart colors can range from skin-colored, pink, brown, and even white. They appear as tiny, hard bumps with a rough surface that may have a cauliflower texture; and some can be dark, flat, and smooth.

There are many different kinds of warts including:

• Common warts: usually grow around the nails, on the fingers, and back of hands
• Foot warts: usually on soles of the feet and are call plantar warts
• Flat warts: smaller and smoother than other warts that grow in great numbers
• Genital warts: (condyloma) – occur on the genitalia and anus

Cause

Warts are tiny skin infections caused by viruses of the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. The viruses that cause warts are passed from person to person, sometimes indirectly. The risk of catching hand, foot, and flat warts is small. Genital warts are more contagious, and sexually transmitted. Some people get warts depending on how often they are exposed to the virus.

Treatment

• Electrosurgery
• Laser Removal

What can be done?

Several treatment options for warts exist. Common warts in young children can be treated at home with over the counter medicines that contain salicylic acid. This treatment is relatively painless, but may take many weeks to obtain good results.

For faster results, topical treatments for young children are often used in combination with other in office treatments. For adults and older children, the most effective treatment is Laser Removal. Electrosurgery, or burning, scraping the wart off, and laser treatments with either a vascular laser or carbon dioxide laser are other procedures used to destroy warts.