Warts

A wart is always an unwelcomed visitor to a person’s skin. Luckily, most warts are harmless and not painful. However, without treatment, warts can seem like permanent residents on your skin, as well as an unsightly nuisance. Without treatment, it can take months, even years, for a wart to disappear on its own.

Wart treatments are easily administered and often very effective. If you have a wart that’s been hanging around for a bit too long, or if you have chronic warts, visiting one of our Minnesota clinics is a great place to start. We can work with you to create a warts treatment plan that works.

 

 

Wart Causes

Warts are the manifestation of a skin infection caused by a virus. This might make the otherwise benign growth sound scary, but the virus is not often dangerous. Human papilloma virus, also known as HPV, is very common. There are more than 130 types of HPV, and there are approximately 10 different types of warts that care caused by the virus.

The type of HPV that causes these warts invades the body, and the virus’s DNA penetrates the skin cells. The HPV then causes these cells to multiply, pushing them up toward the skin’s surface. Warts appear when cells grow rapidly on the outer layer of skin. This growth, the wart, then becomes a vehicle for HPV to shed, passing the virus to others.

 

Wart Symptoms

Warts can appear on the skin in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. The surface of a wart can appear round, flat, rough or smooth. Some warts are the same color as your skin, while others may have black specks. They can grow anywhere on the body, though they are most commonly found on the feet, hands, face, legs, and genitalia.

Warts are contagious, which means they can spread to other areas of the body. They can also pass from person to person. Occasionally, warts can cause discomfort, especially when they are located on the bottom of the foot, but they are rarely itchy or painful.

 

Warts Treatment

Currently, there is no known cure or medication that kills the HPV virus directly. As a result, warts treatments work to treat the infected skin tissue while encouraging the body’s immune system to fight off the virus naturally. There is a wide variety of warts and strands of HPV, which means that wart treatments can vary. Below, we’ve listed some of the most common.

  • Laser treatment
  • Peeling medicine (salicylic acid)
  • Cryotherapy
  • Minor surgery

When to See a Dermatologist for Warts

There are many over-the-counter products designed for warts treatment, and many of them work well. However, warts take time to disappear on their own, and sometimes non-prescription-strength wart treatments don’t do the job. If you have a persistent wart, or perhaps chronic warts, the best course of action is to make an appointment with a dermatologist. Only a doctor can provide the prescription-strength treatment necessary to get rid of warts.

Additionally, while most warts are easily recognizable, only an experienced professional can make a diagnosis. A growth that appears to be a wart could be a mole or something more serious. Our dermatologists are equipped to diagnose a range of skin growths, from warts to moles and carcinoma to melanoma. Whether you want your wart removed or suspect it may be something else, we can help.

Contact Us to schedule an appointment or virtual visit today.

*Results may vary per patient. Services vary by location.