WHAT ARE WARTS?
Identifiable by its rough, cauliflower like surface, a wart is a skin growth caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus works by causing the infected skin to produce excess keratin, resulting in a rough textured bump. They are commonly found on the hands and feet, but can appear anywhere. Warts are highly contagious and can easily be spread through contact to other areas of your face or body, as well as to others. After you have been infected it can take weeks or months for a wart to appear on your skin. |
Warts are easily contracted through direct contact from a wart to healthy skin, whether that be to another person or another area of your face or body. It is also possible to develop a wart through indirect contact of objects that have been in contact with a wart, for example towels or swimming pool floors. As warts can be highly contagious, the best prevention is to treat them as soon as possible to avoid them spreading to other areas or other people.
Different types of warts we regularly treat here in our clinic. Some frequently-seen types of wart which we can treat include Common Warts, Plane Warts and the very familiar verruca (yes, these are a type of wart too). In general, warts can be spread by touch.
Before your treatment begins
It’s important that you should stop using any commercially available products to treat the warts two weeks before your treatment at our Clinic. This will prevent your skin from becoming over sensitive and reduce the risk of a reaction.
We begin by introducing a Thermolysis current to the affected area, using the tip of a small probe. Most of our patients describe the feeling this produces as being a little uncomfortable but not painful. The treated area will feel warm during this process and for a short time afterwards. The treatment itself takes just a quarter of an hour or so if a single wart is being treated.
You might need to return to us for some follow-up treatment. No more than two appointments are usually needed, normally around one month apart.
After your treatment is complete
In the days following your treatment, scabs will develop which you should leave to come away in their own time. They normally heal in around 14 days.
Everything should return to normal within a maximum of two months.
- Seborrhoeic Keratosis is a less well-known type of wart which is the exception to the rule – it isn’t contagious. This type of wart is normally associated with ageing, although it can also be caused by genetics or too much exposure to the sun over a long period. Seborrhoeic Keratosis has a dry texture, is heavily pigmented and appears as though is has been ‘stuck on’ to the skin.
- Common Warts tend to stand out from the skin. We normally see patients who have them on their hands although it’s not usual to encounter them in other areas too. They are firm to the touch, tend to be itchy, and can easily spread from one person to another.
- Plane Warts are caused by a virus and are always contagious. They stay flat to the skin, but can still cause distress and embarrassment as they are particularly likely to occur in highly-visible areas such as the back of wrists and hands or even on the face. They feel rough to the touch and can appear on their own or as part of a cluster.
- Verrucas, or Plantar Warts can be particularly persistent – as many of us will remember from our childhood years.
Before your treatment begins
It’s important that you should stop using any commercially available products to treat the warts two weeks before your treatment at our Clinic. This will prevent your skin from becoming over sensitive and reduce the risk of a reaction.
We begin by introducing a Thermolysis current to the affected area, using the tip of a small probe. Most of our patients describe the feeling this produces as being a little uncomfortable but not painful. The treated area will feel warm during this process and for a short time afterwards. The treatment itself takes just a quarter of an hour or so if a single wart is being treated.
You might need to return to us for some follow-up treatment. No more than two appointments are usually needed, normally around one month apart.
After your treatment is complete
In the days following your treatment, scabs will develop which you should leave to come away in their own time. They normally heal in around 14 days.
Everything should return to normal within a maximum of two months.