Laser treatment of viral warts

The benign skin tumor caused by Human Papilloma Virus that enters the skin through microwounds as a direct infection on susceptible individuals. These viral warts need to be removed. The incidence rate of viral warts is about 10 % in case of adults and in children too. The virus infects epithelial cells causing visible warts appearing above skin surface. The forming warts tend to spread and multiply. They are most common on the hands and the plantar surface of the foot and less often on outer genitals. They have a rough surface and protrude above the surrounding skin, sometimes penetrate deeply in the skin and they seem to have roots. Plantar warts may be painful.

Warts that have been treated some other way and have a scarred surroundings can be removed with carbon dioxide laser therapy. The treatment, namely removing the viral warts removes the wart itself. Prior to the treatment local anesthesia is to be administered and the treatment creates smoke that is removed by an exhaust system.

After laser therapy skin erosion occurs that fills up and get re-epithelized within 2-4 weeks by itself.
Since it is a viral infection it is important to know that besides the visible and already removed warts there can be other tiny infections that are invisible even under a magnifying glass and will be visible and palpable only after a couple of weeks of growth. This is why the regular checkup is so important following the wart removal because the appearing and growing wart can be removed during these checkups. If no wart appears within 12 weeks following the first removal than the treatment was successful and the patient can be declared fully cured.

Patience is required for viral wart removal and treatment because of the regular checkups and treatments so the prolonged cooperation between the physician and the patient is the key of a successful treatment.

Important

Warts, especially generalized warts developing only in adults may be caused by immunodeficiency in the background so wart removal and a consultation with a specialist to have a thorough medical checkup are highly important.