Removing Warts In Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, and Cumming, GA
Warts are small, harmless growths that appear most frequently on the hands and feet. Sometimes they look flat and smooth; other times they have a dome-shaped or cauliflower-like appearance. Warts can be surrounded by skin that is either lighter or darker. Warts are caused by different forms of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). They occur in people of all ages and can spread from person-to-person and from one part of the body to another. Warts are benign (noncancerous) and generally painless. They may disappear without any treatment. However, in most cases eliminating warts takes time.
The location of a wart often characterizes its type:
Common warts can appear anywhere on the body, although they most often appear on the back of fingers, toes and knees. These skin-colored, dome-shaped lesions usually grow where the skin has been broken, such as a scratch or bug bite. They can range in size from a pinhead to 10mm and may appear singly or in multiples.
Filiform warts look like long, narrow, flesh-colored stalks that appears singly or in multiples around the eyelids, face, neck or lips. They are sometimes called facial warts. They may cause itching or bleeding, but are easy to treat with over-the-counter medications.
Flat (plane) warts appear on the face and hands. They are flesh-colored or white, with a slightly raised, flat surface and they usually appear in multiples. Flat warts are more common among children and teens than adults.
Genital warts appear around the genital and pubic areas. It is also possible to get genital warts inside the vagina and anal canal or in the mouth (known as oral warts). The lesions start small and soft but can become quite large. They often grow in clusters. They are both sexually transmitted and highly contagious. In fact, it is recommended you generally avoid sex with anyone who has a visible genital wart. Genital warts can cause cancer in both men and women and should always be treated by a physician.
Plantar warts appear on the soles of the feet and can be painful since they are on weight-bearing surfaces. They have a rough, cauliflower-like appearance and may have a small black speck in them. They often appear in multiples and may combine into a larger wart called a mosaic wart. Plantar warts can spread rapidly.
Subungual and periungual warts appear as rough growths around the fingernails and/or toenails. They start as nearly undetectable, pin-sized lesions and grow to pea-sized with rough, irregular bumps with uneven borders. Subungual and periungual warts can impede healthy nail growth. Because of their location, they are difficult to treat and generally require medical attention.
Wart treatment is divided into in-office and over-the-counter treatments.
In-office:
- Cryotherapy - freezes the wart using liquid nitrogen and may require multiple treatments.
- Electrosurgery - sends an electric current through the wart to kill the tissue
- Injection - medication injected into the warts to stimulate the immune system to fight the virus.
Over-the-counter:
- Nonprescription freezing products (dimethyl ether), aerosol sprays that freeze the warts
- Salicylic acid preparations dissolve the protein (keratin) that makes up the wart and the thick layer of skin that covers it. It comes in gels, pads, drops, and plasters and takes 4 to 6 weeks to eradicate the warts.
If self-treatments do not work after a period of about 4 to 12 weeks, contact our dermatologist. We will assess your warts and recommend the best option.
Always contact the dermatologist if a wart is causing pain or it changes in color/appearance. A dermatologist should always be consulted for genital warts.