While warts are harmless skin growths, they can be aesthetically unappealing and difficult to remove. At Worcester and Chelmsford Dermatology Associates, we believe that the best way to control warts is by providing both patient education and effective treatment options.
Our practice is committed to providing our clients with the highest standard of dermatological care by experienced medical professionals. For more information about either of our practices or any of the services we offer, feel free to contact us today.
What are Warts?
Warts are noncancerous skin growths caused by a virus in the top layer of the skin. They are often skin-colored and rough in texture, but can also be dark and smooth in appearance. These growths most commonly appear on the fingers, around the nails, and on the backs of the hands, and can be spread to other parts of the body through skin-to-skin contact. While warts can be unsightly and uncomfortable and removing them can be difficult, it can be accomplished through persistence and dermatological expertise.
Prevention
While it’s difficult to entirely rule out your chances of developing a wart, there are certain precautions you can take to decrease your risk. Making sure any cuts on your hands, fingers, and feet are clean and dressed can lower your chances of contracting the virus that causes them. Taking care to wear shoes in public places and avoiding skin-to-skin contact with someone who has warts can also be helpful.
Treatment
While some warts eventually go away on their own, this process can take a long time. The process of removing warts can be made complicated by the virus that causes them. Even if you have a wart visibly removed, if the virus that caused it is still present in your body you can either grow that same wart back or develop new ones. These growths are also comprised of several thick layers of skin, making it difficult to penetrate them with medication alone.
Cryosurgery, the process of freezing and extracting the wart using liquid nitrogen, can be effective. This treatment has to be repeated every 1-3 weeks for a few months in order to fully kill the virus that caused the wart. Products that trigger an immune system response or utilize specific chemicals to break down the wart have also proven to be effective in eradicating them.
Interested in having a wart removed? We can help! Contact either our Worcester or Chelmsford locations today to schedule a consultation appointment.