WART REMOVAL

What are Warts?

Warts are small, rough growths on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). They are most common on the hands and fingers, but can appear anywhere on the body. Warts are unsightly and bothersome and can spread to multiple areas of the body and from one person to another.

Causes of wart

Viruses called human papillomavirus (HPV) cause warts. The virus enters into the skin through a cut or scrape on your skin. That is why warts are more common on parts of the body which are more prone to injury such as soles, palms and beard areas in men. Warts can spread from one place on your body to another and from person to person. You can get warts from touching a wart on someone’s body. Some people get a wart after touching something that another person’s wart touched, such as a towel. It often takes a few months for warts to grow large enough to see.

Types of wart

1. Common warts :

   Common warts often develop on the fingers, nails, toes, or the back of the hand and sometimes on the knees. Common warts are rough in texture and can vary in size from a pinhead to pea size. Some common warts contain tiny, seed-like black dots. A common wart that resembles a cauliflower in appearance is known as a butcher’s wart.

2. Plantar warts :

   Plantar warts occur on the feet or ankles. Plantar warts resemble thick, calloused skin, often with black dots on the surface. They are often flat and painful.

3. Flat warts :

   Flat warts, or plane warts, are slightly raised and smooth in appearance. Flat warts can be light brown and develop most often on the forehead and cheeks. However, flat warts can also develop on the hands, lower arms, and legs. They are more common in children.

4. Filiform wart :

   Filiform warts are long and spiky and often appear around the eyes, nose, and mouth. Filiform warts grow quickly.

5. Genital warts :

   Genital warts are a form of sexually transmitted infection (STI). Genital warts can cause pain or itchiness or are usually symptomless. Genital warts range in color from pink to dark brown and can be flat, bumpy, or grow from the skin on stalks. The HPV strain that causes genital warts can also cause certain types of cancer. For this reason, a person who thinks they may have genital warts should see a doctor immediately.

6. Mucosal warts :

   Warts caused by the same strain of HPV can also occur on the lips or inside the mouth. These warts are called mucosal warts

Diagnosis of warts?

Dermatologist diagnose a wart by looking at it. In rare cases, a dermatologist may need to perform a skin biopsy to be certain. In that case, the doctor will remove the wart and send it to a lab. At the lab, a small piece of the wart will be looked at under a microscope.

Treatment of warts?

Warts often go away without treatment. This is especially true when children get warts. In adults, warts may not disappear as easily or as quickly as they do in children. So dermatologists do treat them.
There are multiple treatment options available for warts. The treatment used depends on the patient’s age and health as well as the type of wart.

A dermatologist may use one of the following treatments:

• Electrosurgery & Radiofrequency cautery :

  Electrosurgery (burning) is a good treatment for common warts, filiform warts, and foot warts. The dermatologist may remove the wart by scraping it off before electrosurgery.

• Excision :

  The doctor may cut out the wart (excision). The excision is usually done by a small tool called punch in case of round warts. Or else, can be done by the conventional method using blade and suturing thereafter.

• Cryosurgery :

  For common warts in adults and older children, cryosurgery (freezing) is the most common treatment. This treatment is not too painful. It can cause dark spots in people who have dark skin. It is common to need repeat treatments.

• Laser treatment :

  CO2 laser treatment can also be used mainly for warts that have not responded to other therapies.

• Chemical peels :

  Peeling solutions such as salicylic acid (stronger than you can buy at the store), lactic acid, tretinoin, and glycolic acid can be used to remove warts. But generally these methods do not remove warts from the root which might lead to recurrence of warts.

• Immunotherapy :

  This treatment uses the patient’s own immune system to fight the warts. This treatment is used when the warts remain despite other treatments. This include injecting the warts with some vaccine like MMR vaccine or BCG vaccine. Vitamin D intralesional therapy can also be used to treat warts.

• Topical medicine :

  Podophyllin is a chemical solution which is applied to the warts. The chemical causes blisters to form under the warts, stopping blood flow, causing necrosis of warts, leading to falling-off of wart. Usually the chemical is applied by the dermatologist at their clinic.

Benefits of the procedure offered by Aayam Skin Clinic

At Aayam Skin clinic, we provide multiple treatment options for warts depending upon the type of wart. In most cases, minimally invasive excision is done either with radiofrequency, laser or by using a punch. To numb the area, either anaesthetic cream is applied or an anaesthetic injection is given before the removal process. In this way, wart removal procedure at Aayam skin clinic is most painless, effective involving minimal discomfort. It’s usually one time procedure done on an outpatient basis, so as to avoid inconvenience to the patient.

Aftercare instructions

Following your wart removal procedure, specific instructions are given on how to care for the treated area. This may include keeping the area clean and dry and avoiding picking at the scab. Antibiotic creams and tablets may be given following the procedure to prevent any kind of infection.

Outcome

Sometimes, it seems that new warts appear as fast as old ones go away. This happens when the old warts shed virus cells into the skin before the warts are treated. This allows new warts to grow around the first warts. The best way to prevent this is to have your dermatologist treat new warts as soon as they appear.