Warts

Warts are benign skin growths caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Warts most commonly appear on the hands or the feet, and the virus is contagious and can spread via touch. Warts are usually skin-colored and rough to the touch. While usually painless, they can become painful - especially on the soles of the foot. Warts are usually harmless and may go away with time, but there are also many dermatological treatments for warts.

The Types of Warts

Warts are very contagious and can impact anyone at any time, although they’re more common in children and teens. These are the most common types of warts people tend to get:

The Common Wart

Common warts are typically found on the fingers, around the nails, or on the back of the hands. They tend to feel like small, rough bumps, and usually look flesh-colored. Some also have small black dots within them (these are blood vessels or tiny blood clots).

Flat Warts

Flat warts tend to be smaller and smoother in appearance than other kinds of warts, and they tend to grow in clusters of 20-100 at a time. They are common on the legs and face.

Plantar Wart

Plantar warts appear on the bottoms of the feet and tend to grow into the skin, thanks to the weight placed on them during walking and standing. Over time, a large plantar wart growing inward can make it difficult to bear weight or may lead to a feeling of having rocks in your shoes. Plantar warts usually have blood vessels and tend to grow in clusters.

Filiform Warts

Filiform warts are fast-growing growths that tend to pop up around the eyes, mouth, and nose. They tend to appear sharp and thread-like.

Periungual Warts

Periungual warts grow around or beneath the toenails or fingernails. They start small but become rough bumps over time.

Treatment Options and Wart Removal

In some cases, warts will go away on their own without ever requiring treatment. This is especially common in children. In other instances, however, you’ll need to have the wart treated to get it to disappear. Here at Dermatology Associates, we provide a variety of wart removal treatment options for clients, including the following:

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is one of the most common and most effective wart removal options. During a cryotherapy treatment, we use liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart and its associated tissue. Most warts require more than one treatment.

Excision

During excision, a dermatologist will cut the wart out of the skin, removing it and all of its associated tissue.

Electrosurgery

Electrosurgical treatment involves using a laser to burn the wart and its associated tissue, thereby destroying the cells.

Curettage

Curettage treatments involve scraping the wart off of the skin with a small, sharp knife.

Liquid treatments

Some liquid treatments involving cantharidin are applied over the wart. The treatment causes a blister to form beneath the wart. Once the blister dries, the wart can be cut away.

Laser treatments

Laser treatments burn the wart off of the skin with a laser.

Light treatments

Light treatments (also known as photodynamic therapy) use super-concentrated wavelengths of blue light and associated photosynthesizing medication to destroy wart tissue.

To learn more about how we get rid of warts,
contact your dermatologist to schedule an appointment.

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