What is a wart?
A wart is a small skin growth that often develops on the fingers, hands, and knees. These skin growths are the result of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which your child can pick up by touching an infected person or object. The virus enters the body through small cuts or scrapes in the skin.
Not everyone who comes in contact with HPV will develop warts, as it depends on how the immune system reacts to the virus.
Warts are typically harmless and often go away on their own without medical treatment. But if warts bother your child or cause embarrassment, the team at Penguin Pediatrics PLLC offers safe and effective wart-removal services.
What are the symptoms of a wart?
Warts are usually flesh-colored or pink and feel rough to the touch. Some warts may contain clotted blood vessels that appear as small, black dots.
If warts change in color or size, or if they become painful, you should seek a medical evaluation.
What diagnostics are available for warts?
The team at Penguin Pediatrics PLLC can often determine if a skin growth is a wart during a physical examination.
To confirm a diagnosis, the team may scrape off a layer of the wart to check for clotted blood vessels. They may also opt to remove a portion of the wart for further analysis to rule out other skin conditions.
What treatment options are available for warts?
The team at Penguin Pediatrics PLLC can determine the best treatment for warts based on your child’s age and their medical needs. They initially may recommend salicylic acid treatments that remove the wart a few layers at a time.
If the acid treatment isn’t effective or warts come back, the team may recommend cryotherapy, a procedure that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and destroy the structure of the wart. This treatment may also help stimulate the immune system’s natural response to fight the virus responsible for wart growth.
In some cases where warts are interfering with your child’s activities, the team can cut away the wart tissue.
Learn more about available wart treatments by calling the office directly or using the online booking feature.
