Warts

What are warts?

Warts are noncancerous skin growths that result from a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. 

The infection enters your body through small cuts or cracks in your skin. HPV spreads person-to-person through direct contact with the wart or with an HPV-infected surface.

Orlando Dermatology Center offers comprehensive care for warts in adolescents and adults, including diagnostic skin evaluations and personalized treatment plans.

When should I seek treatment for warts?

You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Orlando Dermatology Care if you have warts that you can’t treat on your own or if you’re embarrassed by the appearance of warts on your skin.

Warts commonly grow on your fingers and backs of your hands but can develop anywhere on the body. The rough, skin-colored bumps can have small, black dots at the center. The dots are actually blood vessels that keep the wart alive.

The dermatology team evaluates your skin to identify the location of warts. They may also remove a sample of the wart for further lab testing.

How are warts treated?

Warts usually go away on their own. You can also treat warts with over-the-counter wart removers. However, these products may not be strong enough to eliminate some warts and the growth may come back.

The Orlando Dermatology Center team customizes a treatment plan to treat existing warts and prevent them from spreading. Treatment options include:

Topical treatments

Prescription-strength salicylic acid removes warts layer by layer. You apply the acid directly to the wart until it falls off.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a procedure that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and destroy the wart. Within a week of treatment, warts die and fall off.

Electrosurgery

Electrosurgery uses heat energy to burn and destroy the wart. The team may also use a special tool to scrape the remaining skin away after burning it.

Laser therapy

Laser therapy uses beams of light to break down the structure of the wart and destroy its blood supply. The team uses state-of-the-art laser technology to treat warts without damaging nearby skin.

Excision surgery

For difficult-to-treat warts, the team may recommend a minor surgical procedure to remove them.

If you’re bothered by a wart, call the Orlando Dermatology Center office near you to schedule a wart consultation or book an appointment online today.