DOCTOR LED DERMATOLOGY

Wart Removal

Wart removal at Venus Aesthetics is done after a doctor has assessed the growth. Warts are caused by a virus, they are very common, and many of them can be dealt with properly in a clinic. What matters is who looks at the growth first. Here a dermatologist examines the lesion, confirms what it actually is, and only then decides how it should be removed.

Dermatology consultation Rs 3,500By appointment only. Aesthetic treatment consultations remain free.

0311 111 7546

What it is

Understanding Wart Removal

A wart is a growth caused by the human papillomavirus infecting the top layer of skin. It is often rough and raised, though flat warts are smoother and warts on the sole are pressed flat into the skin by walking. The virus enters through tiny breaks, so warts are common on the hands, fingers, around the nails, on the soles of the feet and on the face. They spread by direct contact and by shared wet surfaces, and they can spread across your own body through scratching, picking or shaving. Some settle on their own over months or years. Many do not, and those are the ones worth treating in clinic, where the lesion is properly examined before anything is removed.

When to consider it

Come in if you recognise any of these

A rough, firm bump on the hand, finger or knuckle that keeps coming back
A thickened painful patch on the sole that hurts to walk on, sometimes with tiny black dots inside it
Small flat warts spreading across the face, beard area or legs, often after shaving
Growths around or under a nail that are spreading as you bite or pick at them
A lesion that bleeds without being knocked, changes colour, grows quickly or has an irregular edge
Warts you have already tried to burn, cut, tie off or treat with something from the market
Several warts at once, or warts that keep returning, especially if you are diabetic or on medicines that lower immunity

How the procedure works

Your plan, step by step

A dermatologist examines the lesion first

Your appointment starts with a proper look, not a machine. The doctor takes your history, examines the growth closely, often with a dermatoscope, and asks about diabetes, immunity, pregnancy and any medicines you take, because these change what is safe to use on you. Dermatology consultations are Rs 3,500 and by appointment only.

Confirming that it is actually a wart

Several things look like warts and are not. Corns, calluses, skin tags, seborrhoeic keratoses and molluscum are commonly mistaken for warts. A small number of growths are more serious than they appear. If a lesion has unusual or suspicious features, the doctor takes a sample and sends it for laboratory examination instead of simply destroying it. Once tissue is burnt away, that answer cannot be recovered.

Choosing the right method for that lesion

There is no single best treatment for every wart. The doctor selects based on the type of wart, its depth, how many there are, where they sit, your skin tone and your age. Methods used in clinic include cryotherapy, electrocautery or radiofrequency, laser, medical chemical treatment and, for stubborn or repeated warts, immunotherapy. The plan and the number of sittings are decided at your consultation.

The procedure itself

The area is cleaned, and numbing cream or a local anaesthetic injection is used where the method and the site call for it. The doctor treats the wart under sterile conditions. The time it takes and what you can expect are explained before anything starts. Afterwards you may have a small raw area, a scab or a blister, depending on the method used. Nothing is removed without you understanding what is being done and why.

Aftercare that protects the result

Keep the area clean and dry, apply exactly what you are given, and leave the scab alone. Do not shave over a treated facial site until it has healed. In our heat and humidity, keep treated feet dry, change socks daily and wear slippers on wet communal floors so the skin is not reinfected while it is healing.

Review and stopping the spread

You come back so the doctor can see how the site has healed and check whether anything has returned. Warts are managed rather than cured, so the aim is to treat anything new early, protect the skin around the old site, and correct the habits that spread them, such as picking, nail biting and sharing razors or nail clippers.

FAQs

Wart Removal, answered honestly

Are warts contagious?

Yes. Warts are caused by a virus, so they pass from person to person and from one part of your body to another. Shared towels, razors, nail clippers and wet floors in bathrooms, wudu areas, hostel showers and gym changing rooms are common routes. Use your own towel and razor, wear slippers on wet communal floors, and avoid picking or shaving over a wart.

Can I just burn the wart off at home or get it done at a salon?

Please do not. Chuna, garlic, thread tying, acid bought from the market and cautery by an untrained person cause burns, infection and permanent scars, and the wart often returns anyway. The bigger problem is that destroying a lesion destroys the evidence. If it was not a wart, nobody can then examine the tissue and find out what it really was.

Will the wart come back after it is removed?

It can. Removal clears the visible wart, but the virus may remain in the skin around it, which is why warts on the soles and around the nails are the most likely to return. This is a condition that is managed rather than cured. If a new one appears, come back early, because small fresh warts are far simpler to treat than large ones.

Is wart removal painful?

This varies with the method used and where the wart is. Where numbing is needed, the area is treated with numbing cream or a local anaesthetic injection first, so the removal itself feels more like pressure than pain. Freezing treatments are usually done without anaesthetic and give a stinging or burning sensation at the time. Warts on the sole of the foot can stay tender afterwards, so plan around long walking or standing if you can.

Will it leave a scar or a dark mark?

A darker mark where the wart was is common in South Asian skin and usually fades gradually, though how long that takes varies from person to person. Scarring risk rises when a lesion is treated too deeply, or when it has already been burnt or cut at home. Protect the area from the sun, use the sunscreen your doctor recommends on facial sites, and do not pick the scab off early.

How do I know if it is a wart or just a corn on my foot?

A wart interrupts the normal skin lines and often shows tiny black dots inside it, which are small clotted blood vessels. It usually hurts more when the sides are squeezed together. A corn or callus keeps the skin lines running through it, has a firmer central core, and hurts more on direct downward pressure. Your dermatologist confirms this at examination, often with a dermatoscope.

When should I worry that a growth is not a wart?

Most warts are completely harmless. Ask for a proper look if a growth bleeds without being knocked, grows quickly, changes colour, develops a ragged or irregular edge, ulcerates, or fails to respond to correct treatment. The same applies to a single stubborn lesion on sun exposed skin in an older adult. In these cases the doctor takes a sample and sends it for laboratory examination rather than guessing.

What does it cost and do I need an appointment?

Dermatology consultations at Venus Aesthetics are Rs 3,500 and by appointment only. The cost of treatment is quoted after the doctor has examined you, because it depends on the type of wart, how many there are, where they sit and which method is suitable. To book at any of our 8 branches in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad or Gujranwala, call 0311 111 7546.

Worried about your skin?

Bring it to a dermatologist. Diagnosis first, honest plan second, treatment only when it genuinely helps.

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