Patient undergoing a skin examination and treatment advice on classic dermatology. A specialist in skin health and skin diseases examines and explains the skin of the female patient in the bright rooms of the Frankfurt dermatology practice.

Warts

Treatment of warts

Warts (Latin: verrucae) are possibly contagious, small, well-defined benign skin growths of the upper skin layer (epidermis). They mostly appear on the fingers, the soles of the feet, on the face or in the genital area. They are widespread, so that almost everyone has had some experience with them.

Forms and Formation

  1. Viral warts: Warts are represented by a selective thickening of the cornea and are the result of a viral infection with human papilloma viruses. Infection in public showers, swimming pools or other facilities is considered the main cause.
  2. Genital warts (condyloma): Warts, the so-called genital warts, can also occur in the intimate and anal area due to strains of the human papilloma virus. The infection is most often the result of unprotected sex and affects both men and women.
  3. Mollusca: Molluscs are common in childhood and are caused by the smallpox virus. Due to the associated itching, they spread to several parts of the body due to their infectious nature.
  4. Age warts: These belong to benign genetic skin appendages and are not contagious as they are caused by a cornification disorder and are not caused by viruses. They can resemble birthmarks, increase in size over time, and develop a rough warty surface.

Diagnostics

Due to their typical appearance, warts can be quickly assessed based on their clinical picture. A look through the dermatoscope with optical magnification confirms the suspected diagnosis.

If a genital wart infection is present, it is strongly recommended to have a sample taken to determine the virus strain. In rare cases, certain virus strains of the human papillomavirus can lead to malignant changes.

Therapy

Most of the warts listed are benign and harmless. Infectious warts can multiply and spread without treatment. Our dermatologists use a variety of therapy options to treat viral warts:

  1. Use of tinctures, creams and special plasters
  2. Local corneal ablation and application of acidic tinctures followed by freezing with -180 degrees cold nitrogen
  3. Laser treatment of therapy-resistant warts or genital warts
Bare male feet stepping on a shiny floor. The skin is visible. One foot is on the ground and the other is on tiptoe. A wart is visible on the sole of the foot. The foot wart is highlighted with red color.

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