Feel comfortable in your skin with safe, effective, board-certified wart removal techniques.
What is Wart Removal?
An incredibly common yet irritating (and often embarrassing) skin growth, warts affect millions of men, women, and children each year. Fortunately, there are many different wart treatments and removal techniques available today.
At the Center for Surgical Dermatology, we’re experts in skin and are here to help you eliminate unnecessary skin growths, including warts. Find out more about warts below, including what a wart may look like, if it’s contagious, the various types of warts, and the best wart treatment options.
If you have a wart, you might be wondering what a wart actually is. Warts are simply benign, non-cancerous skin growths due to an infection in the top layer of skin. This infection is caused by a virus that enters through broken skin, most often a small cut or scratch, which then triggers the rapid growth of cells, creating the wart. Warts can show up anywhere on the body and are most common in children and young adults.
Wart Removal FAQs
Learn more about warts by reading our expert answers to frequently asked questions below.
Warts are caused by a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV), which infects the top layer of skin, causing an overgrowth of cells to create an external skin growth.
The appearance of a wart depends on the type, but most often, warts are skin-colored and feel rough. They can also be dark (brown or gray-black), flat, and smooth.
Yes, warts are contagious and can easily spread to other people, as well as other parts of the body. Warts spread through contact, either with the wart itself or by something that has touched it.
For instance, something as simple as a handshake or the sharing of a TV remote can spread the virus that causes warts if one has broken skin, which is the route of entry.
Warts can appear anywhere on the body. However, certain types of warts are more likely to be present on a specific part of the body, which is how many warts are identified.
For example, the common wart usually appears on the backs of hands and on fingers, often where the skin has been broken. Whereas plantar warts generally appear on the bottom of feet.
There are many different types of warts. In fact, scientists have identified more than 100 unique types of the HPV, otherwise known as the virus that causes warts.
Almost all types of HPV cause warts, but the most common types include:
Though the warts mentioned above are the most common, with over 100 different types of warts, it can be hard to distinguish one from the other. This is why it’s important to visit a board-certified dermatologist for a thorough skin evaluation and diagnosis.
In many cases, warts will go away on their own. However, if you have a stubborn wart that keeps coming back again and again, or just simply won’t go away with over-the-counter remedies, there are many other wart removal options available.
A dermatologist will often recommend one of the following wart removal treatments:
Photos of Warts
Take a look at the photos below, and let us know if any of these resemble the skin growth you’re experiencing. Our board-certified dermatologists can help by using safe, effective wart removal techniques.
Schedule Wart Removal in Westerville & Gahanna, Ohio
Do you have a stubborn wart that won’t go away with over-the-counter remedies? Get in touch with our team of board-certified dermatologists today. We’re experts in skincare and are experienced in the removal and treatment of warts. Contact us online or by calling (614) 847-4100 to learn more or schedule a skincare consultation.
Have questions or concerns? Please give us a call at 614.847.4100.