What are ways to manage cutaneous warts?

Doctor's Answer

There are many treatment options for treating cutaneous wart. There are actually different types of warts such as viral warts and seborrhoeic warts so the first step is to confirm the diagnosis.

Viral warts are due to human papillomavirus and are contagious and can spread by contact with the virus. Seborrhoeic warts are benign growths that occur more frequently as you age and is not contagious.

There are many ways to treat a viral wart. The following are the most commonly used treatment modality.

  1. Topical salicylic acid preparations. Salicylic acid creams or lotions help to exfoliate and peel the skin containing the wart.
  2. Cryotherapy. This involves freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen, resulting in a destruction of the skin and virus through a cold burn. This treatment every 1 to 2 week until the wart is cleared.
  3. Electrosurgery/Laser Ablation. The wart can be ablated using electrosurgery or laser. This involves a single treatment session but there is a longer downtime with this treatment.

You can see your doctor or dermatologist for a proper assessment and discussion of the treatment options.

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