Wart Removal

Wart Removal

Warts are lesions on the skin which are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Warts can occur on any part of the body ranging from hands, feet, beard, scalp, and genitalia. HPV stimulates thickening of the skin which in turn forms the warty projections on the skin. These don’t cause any symptoms in a person except plantar (warts on the sole of the feet) which can be painful.

There are various treatment options available for warts-

• Acid- Certain solutions containing acids like salicylic acid and lactic acid – these solutions are keratolytic or peeling agents which remove the dead layers of the skin, thus may help to peel the wart away.
• Freezing (cryotherapy). Freezing therapy involves destroying the wart using liquid nitrogen. This forms a blister around the wart and removes the wart by sloughing off the blister and dead skin. Multiple treatments may be required when using the freezing technique.
• Radiofrequency ablation- This involves the use of radiofrequency heat to kill the wart tissue. This is done under local anaesthesia.
• Laser treatment. The laser can burn the infected tissue which eventually dies, and the wart falls off.