Treat them early and properly. Simple measures are effective but need to be done regularly and often for 4-6 weeks. We would recommend the following self-help or home treatment:

• Pare the wart down with emery board or sandpaper until almost bleeding DAILY
• Apply OCCLUSAL solution (salicylic acid 26%) DAILY
• Wrap the wart in duct tape DAILY
• Continue for 4-6 weeks

The best treatments for warts depend on the wart and its position on the body.

• Topical creams – takes months, only useful for small thin warts. Cryotherapy for freezing off the wart helps with smaller warts and some thicker ones but in between, you would need to do the above home treatment.
• Laser surgery – the most effective, removes wart in a single session in most cases. Laser surgery for warts is our speciality. This is more invasive but removes the wart in one session. Requires local anaesthetic which numbs the area. Healing takes up to 2 weeks. Occasionally can leave a small scar but most patients prefer this to a wart on their fingers or face.
• Surgery for larger/more resistant warts
• Freezing – a possible option for smaller warts, but takes multiple treatments. You may also need 2-3 freezing sessions normally 2-3 weeks apart.
• We also treat genital warts and that often sexually transmitted infections

• Verruca – acid creams from the chemist are the first step. If this does not work then our doctors can offer to freeze or laser them off.
• Facial Warts – These more commonly occur in men around the chin and mouth area as warts flare up due to shaving. The best treatment is laser surgery.
• Finger/Hand Warts Removal – For finger and hand warts which are common in adults as well as children, treatments include acid remedies from the chemist alongside paring down and covering. A quicker option is freezing and/or laser surgery.

Warts are commonly transmitted from person to person as they are a Human papilloma virus and easily spread via contact. Often you will pick up the virus and not know it and then the wart will appear at a later stage. It is very common.

Mostly just bad luck and the key is to treat them early before they get ‘roots’ and become very ingrown. In the genital area warts are often sexually transmitted.

In some cases yes but this can take up to 18 months before the virus burns itself out. Unfortunately, if they don’t the wart can have grown quite large and thick which means it will be difficult to remove.

For plantar warts (verruca), acid creams from the chemist are the first step. If this does not work then our doctors can offer to laser them off.

Facial warts more commonly occur in men around the chin and mouth area as warts flare up due to shaving. The best treatment is laser surgery.

For finger and hand warts which are common in adults as well as children, treatments include acid remedies from the chemist alongside paring down and covering in duct tape. A quicker option is freezing and/or laser surgery.

Professional wart and skin tag removal are extremely effective. There are 3 options used by Cosmedics, depending on the problem. Laser, surgery or cryotherapy (freezing treatment).

Wart removal consultations are held prior to any treatment. These are carried out with one of our highly experienced team.

Prices for treatments carried out in the same appointment as the consultation will include the consultation fee (note: same-day procedures are only undertaken where the procedure is deemed appropriate to do so AND the patient understands the full extent of the costs, risks and potential side effects and is consenting to proceed on that knowledge).

**We may advise patients to have their skin lesions sent for histology/testing. We charge the lowest prices possible for histology as we realise patients often feel it is not required, but occasionally rare or suspicious things are detected early on in lesions that can look normal, which is why this is good practice. We make no financial gain from this service.

Any test results or correspondence will be sent to your email account via an encrypted system called Egress. Should this not be preferable, please let us know at your appointment.

Yes, we do and have treated a great many patients who didn’t know where else to turn. Our doctors and surgeons can treat all genital areas including penis, vagina, groin, pubic and anal areas. Find out more about genital wart removal.

Wart removal often leaves a wound like a small graze. These typically heal over 1-2 weeks. They can be slightly sore for the first few days so can take some paracetamol or ibuprofen. The wounds ideally need to be covered for the first week and then they can be let open to the air.

If the wound shows signs of getting more painful after a week then let us know as this may indicate an infection.

Warts are particularly stubborn and can recur, so if this is the case then it may need a follow up treatment.

For more information:

AFTERCARE LEAFLET