Wart Treatment in San Juan Capistrano, CA
Though typically harmless, warts can be embarrassing and sometimes painful. Caused by a contagious virus, they can spread through contact and grow on any part of the body, especially where the skin has been cut or damaged. The dermatology team at HK Dermatology in San Juan Capistrano, CA offers effective wart removal for children and adults, using proven treatments matched to the type and location of each wart.
Request an AppointmentWhat Is a Wart?
Warts are noncancerous (benign) growths on the skin caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Many warts eventually go away on their own without causing problems, but others can be unsightly, embarrassing, painful, or itchy, and some spread or persist for years. The typical wart is a raised, round or oval growth that may appear lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. Common and plantar warts often look like rough bumps with tiny black pinpoints in the center, which are small clotted blood vessels, while filiform warts look like long, thin threads that stick out from the skin.
Types of Warts We Treat
- Common warts: Rough, raised bumps that typically appear on the hands and fingers.
- Flat warts: Small, smooth, flat-topped warts that commonly occur on the face, especially in children, and on the legs.
- Plantar warts: Warts on the soles of the feet that grow inward from walking pressure and may be painful.
- Filiform warts: Thin, thread-like growths that often appear around the mouth, eyes, or nose.
- Genital warts (condyloma): Warts in the pubic and genital area, which can also occur inside the vagina and anal canal.
- Subungual and periungual warts: Warts that grow under and around fingernails and toenails and can affect nail growth.
What Causes Warts?
Warts are caused by HPV infection. People of all ages can get warts, but they are most common in children and teenagers, and they tend to clear more quickly in children than in adults. Warts are contagious and spread from person to person by touching a wart or something that has touched a wart, such as a shared towel, razor, or shower floor. You can also spread warts from one part of your body to another by picking, biting, or shaving over them. HPV enters the skin more easily through cuts, scrapes, and breaks, which may explain why warts are so common in active kids.
Wart Treatment Options
You should schedule an appointment at HK Dermatology if you have warts that interfere with your life, are painful, are spreading, appear on the face or genitals, or have not gone away with over-the-counter treatment. Your provider will examine the wart and recommend the best treatment for its type and location:
- Cryotherapy: Freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen so it blisters and falls off.
- Electrosurgery: Using an electric current to destroy the wart.
- Curettage: Scraping off the wart, often combined with electrosurgery.
- Excision: Cutting out the wart under local anesthesia.
- Topical and injected medications: Prescription treatments applied to or injected into the wart to destroy it or stimulate the immune system to fight the virus.
Warts are notoriously stubborn. You may need more than one treatment, or a combination of treatments, before a wart is gone for good. Because there is no cure for HPV itself, warts can return or appear in new places.
Tips to Prevent Warts
- Avoid touching, picking, or biting warts.
- Wear sandals in locker rooms, pools, and public showers.
- Do not share towels, razors, or nail tools.
- Keep feet clean and dry.
- Cover cuts and scrapes.
Some growths that look like warts are actually other conditions, such as seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, corns, or, rarely, skin cancer. A professional exam ensures you get the right treatment. Explore our medical dermatology services, including acne treatment and eczema care for kids and teens, browse all conditions we treat, review our insurance information, and visit our new patient page. Parents can find the consent to treat a minor on our patient forms page. If removal leaves a mark, our scar removal treatments can help. Have more questions? Read our general FAQs.
Wart Treatment FAQs
Are warts contagious?
Yes. Warts spread through direct contact with a wart or with objects that have touched a wart, such as towels or shower floors. You can also spread them to other areas of your own body.
Will warts go away on their own?
Many warts eventually disappear on their own, especially in children, but this can take months to years. Treatment speeds clearance and helps prevent spreading.
Does wart removal hurt?
Cryotherapy may sting briefly, and procedures such as excision are performed with local anesthesia. Your provider will help keep you comfortable.
Why do my warts keep coming back?
Warts are caused by HPV, which has no cure. Even after a wart is removed, the virus can cause new warts, so multiple treatments are sometimes needed.
Are plantar warts different from calluses?
Yes. Plantar warts often have tiny black dots and interrupt the natural skin lines of the foot, while calluses do not. A dermatology exam can tell them apart.
Can children have warts treated?
Yes. Warts are very common in children, and our team offers gentle treatment options suited to kids.
Should I remove a wart at home?
Over-the-counter salicylic acid can help some common warts, but avoid cutting or burning warts yourself. See a dermatologist for warts on the face or genitals or for warts that don’t respond.
Say Goodbye to Stubborn Warts
If a wart is causing pain or affecting your life, our team can help. Call HK Dermatology at (949) 248-1632 or request an appointment online in San Juan Capistrano, CA .
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