Warts are caused by a virus. They are very stubborn to treat and can take 6-8 treatments on average to get rid of them. On occasion, they do not respond to the treatments offered in our office and you may be referred out to a laser specialist.

Treatments that we offer include freezing with liquid nitrogen, apply cantharidin, which is a blistering solution, yeast injections and topical medications that we can prescribe. Treatment reactions range from mild to painful blood blisters. Sometimes patients have a hard time walking after warts treated on the feet due to the pain and should be aware of this if they have upcoming plans soon after a treatment is scheduled.

Different parts of the skin react much differently to treatment than others. Areas where the skin is thinner will generally react more than areas of thicker skin such as the palms and soles. If the area becomes significantly blistered, there is a greater chance of scarring depending on where on the body the warts are located. The soles and palms typically do not scar.

At each visit, your warts may be pared down with a blade to remove excess skin to help the treatments to work better. The paring typically does not hurt but may sometimes cause some bleeding to develop. On rare occasions, the treatment administered may cause the warts to become larger and spread. The post care instructions given are intended to help prevent this from occurring but sometimes, even when followed closely, this still happens. On very rare occasions, infection can occur if the treatment area becomes an open wound so care should be taken to keep the area clean and covered if an open wound should develop.

Following treatment, the skin in the area of treatment will often times be darker or lighter than the surrounding skin due to the previous inflammation. Most of the time, the skin will return to its normal color but it may take several months. On occasion, the lighter or darker pigmentation is permanent. Textural changes may also develop and a shiny looking scar can develop.  In children, warts may resolve on their own, so not treating the warts is also an option. However, because they are contagious, they may continue to spread. Once the warts have resolved, there is a chance they may recur days, months or even years later.

Consent for treatment will be required to proceed with treatment for the use of the above mentioned methods that have been recommended by my provider for treating the warts, including, liquid nitrogen, cantharidin, yeast injections, and/or topical medications.

Financial Responsibility: This procedure is a surgical code billable to your insurance. In addition to your Co-Pay, you will be responsible for any Deductibles and/or Co-Insurance after your insurance processes your claim for each treatment.