Treating Unsightly Warts
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Treating Unsightly Warts
Warts are small, usually painless growths on the skin. They are mostly harmless and are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). Warts in visible areas can be embarrassing and can affect your appearance. For this reason, many people choose to have them removed. There are over-the-counter remedies for warts, but patients should consider treatment from a dermatologist for a more long-lasting solution. Patients should never try to treat their own warts by cutting them as this can cause them to spread, bleed, cause unnecessary scarring and/or infection. It is important to note that because they are viruses, there is no guarantee that they will not return after any of these methods.
Cryosurgery (also known cryotherapy) is a procedure in which warts are destroyed by being frozen with liquid nitrogen. This option is popular because it is minimally invasive, inexpensive, and produces minimal scarring. One possible risk is damage to the tissue surrounding the wart.
A blistering agent, such as Cantharidin, is another option for wart removal. Cantharidin is a solution that is painted on the wart and is then covered with moleskin or tape. It is painless when applied but within 24 to 48 hours a mildly uncomfortable blister develops. This should be washed off in 4 hours (sooner, if irritating). In approximately 5-10 days, the blister dries up and peels off, removing the wart. Some warts require only one treatment. This treatment may be effective for warts around the nails.
Salicylic acid is often used for plantar warts. A salicylic acid plaster is cut to the size and shape of the wart and covered with tape. After 24 hours, the wart is softened so it can painlessly be pared down with a file or blade. This is repeated every day if the area is not too irritated. The repeated irritation caused by the acid and paring helps trigger an immune response which helps fight the virus causing the wart.
A more recent treatment option is Immunotherapy. In a study in the Archives of Dermatology, injection of skin test antigens into warts appears to stimulate the immune system and successfully treat the injected wart and also helps to treat distant non-injected warts.
If you are interested in wart removal, contact one the dermatologists at Skin and Laser Surgery Specialists today at (646) 461-8550 in New York, (201) 299-4521 In Hackensack, NJ, or (908) 360-1474 in Hillsborough, NJ.