You should see a doctor, preferably a dermatologist, in cases where warts are widespread, large, or affect the face and sensitive areas, or do not respond to other treatments and keep returning. They will recommend the appropriate treatment, which can be:
- Cryotherapy A procedure in which liquid nitrogen is applied to the wart tissue. This freezes it at a temperature of around -197 °C. A wart treated in this way should fall off after a few days. Cryotherapy is a method that’s highly praised by dermatologists due to its effectiveness and efficacy.
- Burning This method is most commonly used for warts on the feet when the wart is deep, trampled or large. It is usually performed with a laser, where a beam of light is directed at the surface of the wart, which destroys the tissue. The treatment can also be combined with a vascular laser, which destroys the blood vessels that nourish the wart. When using an electrosurgical method, the wart tissue is burned with a high-frequency electric current.
- Curettage This involves scraping or cutting out a wart with a scalpel. It is often necessary to repeat this treatment to completely remove the wart.
- Use of caustic agents Chloroacetic acid (MCAA) is used most often in surgeries to treat warts in children, but this method is no longer preferred by doctors due to more effective methods of treatment that exist today.