Warts Specialist

What are warts?

Warts are skin growths that stem from some types of human papillomavirus (HPV). Although HPV does potentially lead to cancer in areas like the cervix, the types of HPV that cause warts are harmless. 

Warts are contagious, so you can potentially get warts by touching another person's wart. You're more vulnerable to warts if you have a weakened immune system. For example, people who have autoimmune diseases like lupus may be particularly vulnerable to warts. 

What symptoms do warts cause?

Wart symptoms can vary by the type of wart. 

Common warts

Common warts are usually rough bumps. They commonly grow on fingers, backs of hands, or near fingernails. Common warts may have tiny black spots (dried blood from ruptured blood vessels).

Flat warts

Flat warts can grow anywhere. They're smaller and less obvious than common warts, but they often occur in large groups.

Filiform warts

Filiform warts look like long threads that protrude from the skin. They often appear on the face. 

Plantar warts

Plantar warts grow on the soles of the feet. They're usually rough, fairly flat, and may grow into the skin due to the constant pressure of walking and standing. They often appear in big clusters.

Molloscum contagiosum is a skin condition that's often mistaken for warts, but it's caused by a different virus. It mainly occurs in children 10 and younger, and it's more common in kids with eczema. 

Molloscum contagiosum causes small, hard bumps in areas like the chest, underarms, back of the knees, inner elbows, and groin. 

How are warts treated?

Wellskin Dermatology & Aesthetic Clinic provides most wart treatments in the office. The type of treatment depends on the kind of wart, whether it's causing discomfort, and whether there are additional skin problems. If you have a suspicious wart, the team may perform a biopsy to check for skin cancer. 

Some of the many treatment options can include:

• Cryotherapy - wart freezing
• Electrosurgery and curettage - burning and scraping the wart away
• Surgical wart removal
• Cantharidin - causes a blister that prepares wart for removal
• Laser wart removal
• Chemical peels - peel the wart off in layers
• Bleomycin injection - anticancer medication that can fight warts
• Immunotherapy - stimulates your immune system to fight the warts

The Wellskin Dermatology & Aesthetic Clinic team can also prescribe molloscum contagiosum treatments, which include many of the same options.  

If you have warts, you can count on Wellskin Dermatology & Aesthetic Clinic for solutions. Call the office nearest to you or click the online booking link to make an appointment.