Removal of warts is a demanded procedure in modern clinics. Its essence is to extract pathological cells from healthy tissues. Methods for removing warts are varied, and the choice depends on several factors at once: the size of the neoplasm, the location, the number of growths, the personal preferences of the doctor and patient.
Today, the following methods of removing warts are most popular:
- Laser;
- Radio wave;
- Removal with liquid nitrogen;
- Electrocoagulation;
- Traditional surgery.
The use of one or another method of removing warts (cryodestruction, electrocoagulation, laser exposure, surgical excision) depends on the size of the formation and the patient's personal preferences.
All methods, except for the surgical one, do not require special training. It is necessary to take blood tests for coagulability, infections, etc. only before excision of the wart with a scalpel.
Laser wart removal
Laser removal is the most popular way to get rid of skin growths. Its advantage is speed, absence of scars, minimal risk of infection and other complications. The method is suitable for removing small warts, although it is also applicable for large neoplasms. For example, it is difficult to do without a laser when you need to remove a wart on the face or other open area of the body. Healthy tissues are not affected by laser destruction of warts. No incisions are made on the skin, the method is completely non-contact.
The laser beam gently cauterizes the blood vessels surrounding the wart. Bacteria die during the procedure. Recovery takes no more than a week. Swelling, bleeding, infection and other complications are excluded. The warts remaining after tissue removal, if necessary, can be sent for histology, since they are not completely destroyed.
The procedure is simple, it is possible to use anesthesia. The patient is placed on a couch and the laser head is directed to the wart. After that, a beam is launched, which evaporates part of the neoplasm tissue in a split second. After a few seconds of such exposure, the procedure ends, but if the wart is very large, you have to remove it in several steps. This is the main drawback - if a course of procedures is necessary, the patient spends a lot of personal time and pays for several sessions.
Removal of warts by radio wave method
This is the most gentle technique and is also best suited for small warts. High-frequency waves allow you to remove pathological tissues, literally evaporating them, which makes this method similar to laser destruction. The trace remaining on the skin is practically invisible, so the use of radio waves is possible even on the face.
Also, the advantages of this method include:
- Painlessness;
- Fast recovery;
- A minimum of complications and side effects;
- Elimination of bacteria during the procedure;
- No need for complicated care;
- Possibility of histological analysis.
The downside is that for especially large warts, radio wave surgery is not suitable.
Removal of warts with liquid nitrogen
Cryodestruction is a contact method for the elimination of warts. Its advantages lie in the low price, speed of the procedure, and a good result. The method is suitable for removal in any area of the body, but it is rarely used when working with a face - small traces are possible. On the negative side: sometimes painful sensations are observed during and after the procedure.
The liquid nitrogen removal process is simple. The patient is placed or seated on a couch in the operating room, the site of exposure is treated with an antiseptic. The doctor immerses a cotton swab or special instrument in liquid nitrogen. Its temperature is below -195. 75 ° C. After that, the doctor brings the stick to the wart and touches it. Tissues quickly freeze and collapse - cells are torn due to the expansion of frozen water. The remains of tissue are removed, the wound is treated.
Electrocoagulation of warts
This method is also suitable for most areas of the body, including the face. Before the operation, it is imperative to use local anesthesia and treat the skin with an antiseptic. Removal is carried out using an electrocoagulator - a special device that heats up tissue with a high-frequency electric current. The loop of the device touches the neoplasm and gently cuts it off, while simultaneously cauterizing the surrounding blood vessels and killing bacteria. Loop temperature 800 ° C. After exposure, a thin crust forms, which falls off within a few days, leaving behind a small pink speck.
The advantages of the procedure are the small amount of time required, the ability to remove several warts in one session (if they are located close to each other), large warts can be removed. During and after surgery, bleeding and infection are excluded. When removing small warts, no traces remain.
The downside is the impossibility of applying for plantar warts. They are very rough and localized in a too dense layer of the skin. In such situations, more intense treatments are used.
Surgical removal of warts
Today, this is the most effective way to remove warts, as it allows you to guarantee the elimination of all pathological tissues. However, it is used only in extreme cases, when the warts are very large or constantly recur.
5 stages of the operation:
- Treatment of the area with an antiseptic solution;
- Neat scalpel incisions around the lesion;
- Removing his body with tweezers from the surrounding healthy tissue;
- Treatment of the operating wound;
- Suturing and dressing.
The infrequent use of this method is due to the scars that remain after suturing. In addition, there is a risk of infection, inflammation, edema, bleeding in case of extensive postoperative wounds. However, with large old warts, you can get rid of them only in this way. If urgently needed, surgical removal is performed even on the face.
A dermatologist and a surgeon will help you choose a way to remove warts during a preliminary consultation. The most common choices are:
- For small warts on the face and other parts of the body - laser, electrocoagulation, cryodestructive, radio wave removal;
- For especially large ones on the face and body, plantar warts - surgical, laser, radio wave;
- For multiple not on the sole - laser; radio wave, liquid nitrogen removal;
- For small plantar - laser.
Sometimes the choice also depends on the patient's general health, age and even the type of activity (for some professions, the presence of scars on the face or neck is unacceptable). In the latter case, only expensive laser removal is possible. In other situations, an individual approach is used.