Warts surgery vs other treatment modalities for warts destruction

Here at OC MedDerm, you can schedule all your skin surgeries following your medical evaluation. All surgeries are performed by our dermatologists only.

What are warts?

Warts are common skin lesions caused by a viral infection (HPV). They are most commonly located on the hands, feet, or genital areas; however, they can appear elsewhere on the body as well. Warts come in a variety of forms and can be skin-colored, hyperpigmented, flat, raised, or even cauliflower-like in appearance.

Read more about HPV (human papillomavirus), virus causing warts

Treatment of warts

Warts can be removed by a variety of treatments such as: via cold (cryotherapy), heat (lasers), chemicals (acids/topical medications/injections), or physical destruction (such as surgery)

Cryotherapy

(cold) is the gold standard, first-line therapy for wart removal. It is very safe and is usually well-tolerated. The following warts were treated with cryotherapy alone resulting in complete resolution.

When we treat warts surgically

We consider surgical removal of warts for certain scenarios

1) Warts that are flat but deep in the tissue may need to be excised from deeper layers of the skin surgically.

2) If there is any uncertainty about the clinical diagnosis our dermatologists may want to excise the lesion and send for histological confirmation to rule out a more serious process.

3) Warts located in delicate areas will often be excised in order to provide the best possible cosmetic outcome. Anytime a lesion is excised, our dermatologists will send the specimen for microscopic evaluation to confirm the diagnosis. Below are images of our patient before and immediately after surgical removal of warts near the eyelid.

4) Surgical removal will also be considered if warts are too large or have previously had poor response to alternative treatments

5) Surgical approach may be more effective for pedunculated warts (raised with small base) or cutaneous horns

6) As with all of our care at OC MedDerm, every treatment is tailored toward the individual patient. Therefore, all treatment options will be considered at every visit in order to provide our patients with the best possible outcome.

Contact us

If you have any new skin bumps or lesions concerning for warts Call us to make an appointment for a medical visit or ask questions