Wart Treatment

What Are Warts?

Warts are small skin growths that spread by touch. They commonly occur on your hands or fingers but can spread to other parts of the body, as well. While some warts can go away on their own, others are stubborn and need medical removal.

You may be able to tell if a skin growth is a wart if it has a rough texture. Warts also typically feature a pattern of clotted blood vessels, often appearing as small black dots on the skin’s surface.

What Causes Warts?

According to Mayo Clinic, most warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can spread through skin-to-skin contact or objects that have come in contact with the virus.

Not everyone will develop warts when they have contact with HPV. However, people who may be at an increased risk include:

• Children
• Young adults
• Anyone with a weakened immune system caused by HIV or AIDS

Depending on your condition, our doctors may recommend one of the following wart treatment methods:

• Salicylic acid peel: Topical wart medications that contain salicylic acid can clear up your skin by removing layers of the wart over time
• Cryotherapy: During this freezing therapy, we will apply liquid nitrogen to the wart, causing a blister to form. Dead tissue will cause the wart to fall off.
• Trichloroacetic acid: One of our doctors will shave the wart, then apply trichloroacetic acid to the surface of your skin.
• Surgery: We may recommend you undergo surgery to remove the wart from your skin.

You may want to consider having a skin tag removed if it becomes irritated or sensitive. While skin tags don’t pose any serious health risks, discomfort is enough reason to have them removed.

There are a few actions you can take to prevent warts. Generally, the HPV virus that causes warts spreads through cuts in your skin, so you should avoid:

• Picking at your skin or trying to pick the wart off

• Biting your fingernails

• Shaving or brushing any spot where you notice a wart