|  | Conditions Treatments | Warts

Wart Removal & Recurrence

Warts, which are small benign growths on your skin, do not require removal, but you may choose to remove them for cosmetic reasons. Methods for removing warts include: acidic solutions, freezing, surgery and laser. Warts frequently recur after removal, however.

  1. Description of Warts

    • Warts typically look bumpy, and their color can range from white to tan. They can grow anywhere on your feet, genitals, hands and face. How irritating and unsightly you consider them and whether you decide to remove them depends on their location and visibility.

    Removal by Cryotherapy

    • You can have a dermatologist remove a wart by freezing it with liquid nitrogen. A blister then forms around the wart, which then sloughs off in about a week. Cryotherapy does not involve much pain, but you may need repeated treatments.

    Skin Applications

    • Topical applications include salicylic acid, which you can buy yourself over the counter, duct tape, and cantharidin, which blisters and lifts off the wart. Cantharidin will be applied by your health professional.

    Laser Removal

    • Doctors usually use lasers to remove more stubborn warts. Laser surgery involves more expense and may scar your skin.

    Minor Surgery

    • Removing a wart by cutting it off causes more pain and possible scarring, so dermatologists reserve this as last-resort method for more stubborn warts.

    Recurrence

    • Regardless of how you remove them, warts frequently return if you haven't killed the virus that causes them. The virus replicates quickly and has a capsule that helps it resist treatment.

Warts - Related Articles