Warts

Warts are the result of the increased, and abnormal, growth of skin cells due to infection. This infection is very contagious, which can cause warts to spread.

Types of Warts

Common skin warts are rough, dome-shaped, painless, skin-coloured bumps. They commonly appear on an individual’s hands or fingers, especially where the skin has been broken.

Plantar warts occur on the soles of the feet and are often painful. Because of the pressure caused by walking on them, Plantar warts usually appear flat and scaly.

Flat warts are often painless, flat, small, smooth, and appear in clusters on the face, arms, or legs.

Filiform warts appear on the face, especially on the eyelids and lips, and are characterized by their long shape.

What Causes Warts?

Warts are caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV), which infect the cells that create the body’s surfaces, such as the skin. When there are breaks in the skin, such as cuts or scrapes, HPV can reach these cells, causing them to become infected. This infection causes an increase in the growth of the cells, creating warts. 

How to Identify a Wart

Common warts can be identified by the shape and texture of the thick, hard skin. Many warts may have black dots which are caused by clotted blood vessels. These black dots help distinguish plantar warts from calluses on the feet.  GraceMed dermatologists can assist in accurately identifying warts and provide treatment and removal recommendations.

How to Treat Warts

Non-Surgical 

In almost all cases, warts/verrucae that are treated with lasers are permanently removed after one treatment. Laser treatments cause no long-term scarring and don’t require anaesthesia in the majority of cases.

Surgical

In some cases when warts cannot be removed by laser or other similar treatments, cutting away the wart can be used as an option.  During this minor surgery, the wart base will be destroyed using deep freezing or an electric needle. Alternatively, laser surgery can use an intense pulse of light to destroy the wart. 

Book a consultation at our Oakville Dermatology Location