Wart Removal: Here’s What to Expect
Warts are small, hard and rough raised bumps that typically have the same color as to the rest of the skin. These are commonly not painful (except when they appear on the bottom of the feet) but annoyingly very ugly to look at and yucky to the feel. So although it does not really cause you any pain, and will probably resolve itself in a couple of months or a year, we all have the natural urge to make this unsightly thing disappear from any part of our body – plus of course they can spread from person to person as it is caused by a virus called HPV or human papilloma virus. The virus can usually invade the skin through tiny scratches which then causes a rapid growth of cells on the outer layer of the skin that turns into a wart.
There are many methods to remove warts. You can either do DIY home treatments using over-the-counter or prescription medications that contain salicylic acid that will dry out the wart. But this treatment needs several applications before you will notice any improvement. Also, the core needs to be dried out as well to ensure that the wart won’t grow again. Or you can go to a healthcare professional and have them remove it for you. Genital warts are another thing. It has a different approach of treatment as it can be potentially malignant.
So I will talk about one of the method used in treating the common wart using electrocautery.
Electrocautery is the use of heat generated from electricity to cauterize or remove the wart. The electricity is used only to heat the needle which is put on the wart so you should not be worried that the electricity will pass on through your body. Other than warts, electrocautery can also be used to remove other growths on your skin.
So here’s what to expect during electrocautery:
There would normally be a consent form that you would need to sign after the healthcare practitioner has discussed the process of the treatment. The consent form will give you information of what are the associated risks and benefits of the treatment so you will have proper expectations during the treatment.
The area to be treated will be promptly cleansed. For the comfort of the client, a numbing cream will be applied on the affected area so that no or little pain can be felt during the procedure. Note: You should inform if you have any allergies to numbing meds like lidocaine, epinephrine or novacaine.
A thin, needle-like hot tip is then put on your wart which will kill the skin cells by burning them with the heat from the hot tip. The area around the treated wart may look charred or swollen.
Depending on the size of the wart, the treatment may last for about 20-30 minutes.
Antibacterial cream or ointment should be applied on the treated skin before a bandage is put to cover it to avoid any infections.
There should be some instructions given for after care of the treated skin.
After several days, a soft scab will form over the treated skin. Do not remove the scab. Just let it drop off by itself. It may leave a small scar which may slowly disappear over time.
If in case there’s bleeding after the treatment, use a clean tissue or cloth and put over the treated area. Put firm but gentle pressure on it for at least 10minutes until the bleeding subsides. If it happened 24hours after the treatment or it is bleeding for more than 20minutes already, time to call your healthcare practitioner to get professional advice or have them check it again.
Loveli Skin Beauty Centre offers wart removal services for as low as 599. Come visit us or book online for your appointment at www.loveliskin.com/book-online.
