Yes, dermatologists can remove warts. There are several ways to treat warts, including freezing them off with liquid nitrogen or burning them off with lasers. Medical professional can also prescribe medications that can help to get rid of warts.
Warts are small growths on the skin that are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are many types of HPV, some of which may cause warts. Warts can occur on any part of the body, but they are most commonly found on the hands, feet, and face. There is no cure for HPV. However, some treatment for warts can remove them almost permanently.
While plantar warts and genital warts are usually harmless, they can be unsightly and uncomfortable. If you have a wart causing you problems, you may wonder if a dermatologist can remove it.
If you are considering having a wart removed, you must talk to a dermatologist to find out the best option. Different methods of removal may work better for different types of warts. The dermatologist will also be able to tell you if there are any risks associated with the procedure.
How Do Dermatologists Diagnose Warts?
A dermatologist can tell if you have a wart by looking at it. In rare cases, the dermatologist may need a skin biopsy to be sure. If the dermatologist needs a biopsy, the dermatologist will remove the wart and send a piece of it to a lab. At the lab, a wart will be examined under a microscope.
A biopsy is a safe and quick procedure that a dermatologist does. It should not cause you any anxiety.
How Do Dermatologists Treat Warts?
Warts often go away without any treatment. This is especially true when warts appear in children. In adults, warts may not disappear as easily and as quickly as in children. Although most common warts are harmless, dermatologists do treat them.
You should see a dermatologist in your city if you cannot get rid of warts, if warts hurt, or if you have many warts. Dermatologists have many treatment for warts. Treatment depends on the patient’s age, medical condition, and kinds of wart. About how much warts removal cost you can read from this article.
A doctor may use one of the following wart treatment plan:
Cantharidin
The dermatologist can treat the wart in the clinic by “painting” it with cantharidin. Cantharidin causes a blister to form under the wart tissue. After a week or so, you can return to the office, and the dermatologist will remove the dead wart.
Cryotherapy
For the treatment of common warts in older children and adults, cryotherapy (freezing) is the most common method. This treatment of warts is not too painful. It may cause dark spots in people with dark skin. It usually requires repeated treatment.
Electrosurgery and curettage
Electrosurgery (cauterization) is a good treatment for common warts, thread warts, and foot warts. Curettage involves scraping (treating) the wart with a sharp knife or small spoon-shaped instrument. These two procedures are often used together. A dermatologist can remove the wart by scraping before or after electrosurgery.
Excision
The dermatologist may cut out the wart.
If common warts are difficult to treat, the dermatologist may use one of the following treatments:
Laser treatment
Laser treatment is an option, mostly for warts that do not respond to other treatments. Before laser treatment, the dermatologist may anesthetize the wart with an anesthetic injection (shot).
Chemical peels
Flat warts are often found in large numbers. Dermatologists frequently employ “peeling” techniques to remove these warts because so many appear. Tretinoin and glycolic acid are other exfoliants. This implies exfoliating daily at home using salicylic acid products (stronger than what you can buy in stores).
Bleomycin
A healthcare professional may inject each wart with an anti-cancer drug, bleomycin. The injections can be painful. They may have other side effects, such as nail loss if injected into the fingers.
Immunotherapy
Warts are removed through freeze therapy. The patient’s own immune system is utilized in this treatment to combat warts. Warts that have not responded to any other treatments should be treated with this method. One form of immunotherapy is applying a chemical such as deferiprone (DCP) to the wart. A mild allergic reaction occurs around the treated wart. This response might cause the wart to disappear.
Interferon shots
Another type of immunotherapy involves interferon shots. These shots boost the body’s immune system, allowing it to fight the virus.
Self-Treatment
You may treat warts without a prescription with some counter product if you have some wart remedies. This might be enough to get rid of warts. The main issue with self-treatment is that you might mistake another type of skin growth for a wart. Some skin malignancies look like warts.
You should see a dermatologist if you have one:
- The suspicion that the growth is not a wart.
- A wart on the face or genitals.
- Multiple warts.
- Warts are sore, itchy, burning, or bleeding.
- Weakened immune system.
- Diabetes. Never try to remove a viral warts on your foot if you have diabetes. If you cut or burn the skin, it can cause long-term damage to the nerves of the foot.
Home Remedies
You can use the following wart remedies at home:
Salicylic Acid
You can treat warts at home by using salicylic acid gels. This medicine can be purchased without a prescription. It comes in different forms-gel, liquid or patch (pad). You must apply salicylic acid to the wart every day. Be sure to moisten the wart with warm water before applying salicylic acid.
Salicylic acid is rarely painful. If the wart or the skin around it begins to hurt, you should stop treatment for a while. It may take many weeks of treatment to get good results, even if you do not stop.
Other home remedies
Some home remedies are harmless, such as taping warts with silver duct tape. Changing the tape every few days can cause the layers of the wart to peel off. However, studies are contradictory regarding whether duct tape removes warts.
Many believe that some folk remedies and hypnosis help eliminate warts. Since warts can go away without treatment, it is difficult to determine if a folk remedy has worked or if the wart has simply disappeared.
See a dermatologist if you are unsure of the best way to treat a wart. They can prescribe a medication or perform minor surgery to remove the wart. If you have diabetes, see a dermatologist right away if you think you have a foot wart. Do not try to treat it yourself.