Warts and Verrucas
Overview
Warts (also known as viral warts or verrucas) are the most common skin infection and most people will have them at some point in their life. They look like small rough lumps and usually appear on the hands or feet. They may also appear around the mouth or nose if you tend to bite your fingers. They are seen in both children and adults.
Warts are an infection of the skin caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). When this virus enters our skin, it causes rapid growth of the cells on the outer layer of skin leading to these rough lumps.
Warts are highly infectious and spread easily through skin-to-skin contact, or indirectly through contact with contaminated surfaces such as areas around swimming pools. After being infected it may take many weeks or months before the wart appears on your skin.
Symptoms
Warts are common worldwide and affect approximately 10% of the population. In school-aged children, the prevalence is as high as 10% to 20%. They are very common among immunosuppressed patients. They are twice as common in Caucasians and are equally common in men and women.
Diagnosis
Warts are diagnosed clinically after careful examination. Your dermatologist will thereafter explain the diagnosis and treatment options.
Treatment
Warts have a natural lifespan and usually disappear after a few years but can sometimes persist for many years.
The most common approach to treat warts is an acidic treatment that thins and loosens the outer layers of the wart. These usually come in the form of plasters or lotions. You will need to follow this treatment for many weeks for it to be successful.
Cryotherapy may also be an effective treatment, especially if combined with paring (scraping of the lesion with a blade). Cryotherapy removes the wart by freezing it. It is a very quick and easy procedure.
During your consultation, your dermatologist will recommend the best treatment approach for your specific case.
Why GMI
At the GMI, a dedicated team of highly specialized and sub-specialized dermatologists will address your skin concerns, guiding you through your entire journey, from your consultation and diagnostic work-up to your treatment and post-treatment care.
The GMI team will never offer a simple “one size fits all” approach to any patient. We believe each patient’s case is as individual as they are, and strive to find the best treatment plan for each of our patients, taking their case and diagnosis, their lifestyle, and choices into account. To determine the best course of action, each patient’s case is discussed in a multidisciplinary board, where indicated, where several experts with different specialties come together to create your comprehensive treatment plan.
We have invested in advanced technology for the early diagnosis, monitoring, and management of your skin condition. Some of these include digital dermoscopy, artificial intelligence mole mapping, laser treatments as well as tools used in minimally invasive approaches. Any further investigation you may require can also be performed at the GMI, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scans and positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET / CT), histopathology (for biopsies) or blood investigations done in our laboratory, and more.
Our specialized doctors offer a full spectrum of treatment options including minimally invasive procedures, skin surgery, laser treatments, but also radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and advanced systemic therapies, and new treatments such as immuno/chemo-therapy treatments for advanced cases.
We believe each of our patients is more than their diagnosis. We therefore offer dedicated teams supporting our patients by offering more than just expert medical care, through a wholistic approach. These services include psychological help, integrative medical services (including yoga classes, and acupuncture) physiotherapy, and rehabilitation services, as well as a GMI Patient Advocacy Program.
Adhering to our passion for innovation, and desire to progress the medical field, the GMI Department of Dermatology both initiates and participates in several clinical trials in which the most modern and advanced treatment concepts are tested.
