Viral Warts Treatment

Viral warts are caused by virus multiplying in the skin cells. The virus reservoir is warm and wet surroundings, i.e. public swimming pools or saunas. The disease is contagious; it can spread to another parts of the body or can be transferred to another members of the family.

What does enlarged wart look like?

In the centre of the wart are dark dots. These are dilated blood vessels, which nourish the wart.
Wart protrudes above the surrounding skin and may be painful. If it is on the feet, it will be painful while walking.

Local Treatment of Viral Warts

Acid solutions are commonly used; mostly they contain salicylic acid or lactic acid and are applied directly on the wart. Acids soften the indurated skin where virus reproduces. Thorough removal of dead tissue by pumice stone or scissors is very important and the best is to do it once a week at the physician.
Cytostatics or immune modulators can be also used for local treatment of the warts. Cytostatics affect virus directly and prevent its reproduction in the cells.

Laser Treatment of Viral Warts

Laser treatment includes using various types of lasers. Most often used are CO2 laser and dye laser.
CO2 laser is used over 10 years already. It vaporises the infected skin. It usually causes a burn injury that has to be treated with greasy cream. It heals with a faint scar.

Using dye laser is the latest method in wart treatment. Its efficacy is about 95 %. Dye laser emits light, which is then absorbed by small blood vessels nourishing the hyperkeratotic wart papules. When these blood vessels are destroyed, the wart also disappears.
Scar will form very rarely, because the surface of the skin remains intact.
It is very important to remove the callous tissue above the wart by pumice stone. Usually more sessions of laser treatment are needed.