Warts are usually seen as rough lesions on the hands, feet or arms. Warts can come as a single lesion or grouped. They can also be found grouped into areas containing many lesions, especially on the feet.
The cause of warts is the human pappiloma virus (HPV). They spread by contact. You can get warts at gyms, hotels, from family members or at swimming pools. One of the best ways to prevent warts is to always wear shoes or sandals when visiting public places or pools. Children often get warts at school. It is important to wash your hands frequently with mild soap and warm water to reduce your risk of getting warts.
Warts can be stubborn, but effective treatment is available. One way to treat them is to freeze them with a cold liquid spray. A blister will form that contains the wart, which will fall off leaving new, healthy skin behind. Another way to treat a wart is to numb the area and gently remove the wart surgically.
There are numerous ways to treat warts without surgery using topical creams. One such cream, called Aldara (imiquimod) helps your body's immune system fight the wart virus. Treatment with this cream usually takes several weeks.
At Dermatology and Laser Center of Charleston, we use a number of innovative treatments for warts that are much easier to tolerate than many conventional therapies. This is especially helpful when treating children. We pride ourselves on our safe and effective treatments for warts.
Click on images below to enlarge them in a new pop-up window
