Warts

Warts are benign skin lesion caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Almost all individuals will be exposed to the wart virus at some time in their lives, and this can lead most commonly to warts occurring on the hands and feet. However, warts can occur anywhere on the body. Over-the-counter wart treatment can treat the lesions.

Even without treatment, the warts may spontaneously resolve, especially in children and adolescents. When the warts persist or spread to multiple sites, there are a number of treatments used by the dermatologist to help eliminate the lesions. Liquid nitrogen destruction, or freezing the warts, is the most common of the in-office treatments and, while painful to a certain degree, results in the highest cure rates, even higher than surgical removal or laser treatments.