Warts services offered in Mooresville, NC

Fleshy, raised bumps on your skin may be warts, which come from a contagious virus. Board-certified dermatologist Blake Sanders, DO, FAAD, and his team provide wart evaluations and treatment at Sacred Heart Dermatology, which is located in Mooresville, North Carolina. Find out more about warts and how to stop their spread by scheduling an appointment over the phone or online today.

Warts Q&A

What are warts?

Warts are contagious growths on your skin that come from a viral infection. The specific virus that causes warts is called human papillomavirus (HPV), which enters your skin through a small crack or opening.

While you can develop a wart anywhere on your body, warts are particularly common on the hands, feet, and genitals. They’re contagious not only to other people but to other areas of your own skin. If you have a wart, you should try not to touch it and always avoid sharing personal items.

At Sacred Heart Dermatology, Dr. Sanders evaluates skin growths and can discern warts from other types. While warts tend to go away eventually on their own, professional dermatological treatment can help eliminate them faster.

How did I get a wart?

There are many ways to catch or spread a wart. You can get one after coming in direct contact with your own or someone else’s wart or indirectly through shared objects. It’s particularly common to get warts on the soles of your feet, which are called plantar warts when walking barefoot through a public locker room or shower.

To minimize your chances of getting a wart, you should avoid:

• Sharing personal items
• Walking barefoot in public areas
• Touching a wart on yourself or someone else
• Biting your nails and picking your cuticles

It’s also possible to get genital warts through sexual contact. You should always practice safe sex and avoid sexual contact with people who have active HPV infections in the genital area.

What are my treatment options for warts?

You can speed up a wart’s life cycle with treatments and removal procedures at Sacred Heart Dermatology. Dr. Sanders might recommend one or more of the following wart treatments:

Medications
Over-the-counter and prescription topical medications that contain ingredients like salicylic acid may help a wart disappear faster.

Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy involves freezing a wart using liquid nitrogen to kill it. The wart eventually forms a blister and peels off within a few weeks. You might need more than one cryotherapy session.

Laser Treatment
Laser treatment helps get rid of a wart by heating it with a laser. The heat destroys the tiny blood vessels that supply your wart with oxygenated blood.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy works against warts by assisting your immune system in fighting the HPV virus.

Find out which wart treatments are best for you by scheduling an appointment over the phone or online at Sacred Heart Dermatology today.