In most cases, warts just fall off naturally from the skin with a few cases requiring home remedies like covering with duct tape, carrot-olive mixture, and aspirin-water paste, among others. However, wart removal surgery procedures may be considered under certain circumstances such as when the warts are located in the genitals or in the soles of the feet.
Surgery may also be considered for cosmetic reasons like when the warts are too unsightly, too many, or too conspicuous. For example, the warts may be located on visible parts of the body like the face, neck and hands, thus, adversely affecting the person’s self-confidence in social settings.
It should be emphasized that no wart removal surgery procedure is more effective than others. Doctors usually choose the procedure that will produce the least scarring, which will vary from one person to the next depending on the number, size and location of the warts being removed.
Types of Surgery
Let’s first discuss the types of surgery for wart removal. First, electrosurgery and curettage are often used together so as to achieve the best results. In both instances, local anesthetic is first administered on the area being treated. Electrosurgery involves burning the skin with an electrical charge while curettage means cutting off the wart via excision.
Second, laser surgery is just as it sounds – a medical-grade laser is used to burn off the warts from the skin. The doctor uses either a local or general anesthetic before targeting the warts with the laser’s intense beam of light, said choice of which depends on the size and number of warts to be removed. Of the three wart removal surgery procedures, laser therapy is arguably the most drastic since the wound will be painful for several days after the surgery.
Again, the doctor will choose the procedure with the least chances of producing scars. Well, of course, scars may be seen but these are usually kept to a minimum.
Risks Involved in Surgery
In general, wart removal surgery procedures are safe for every relatively healthy individual. There are risks associated with these procedures, which are to be expected, but these are usually minor in nature. Just make sure that the doctor performing the surgery is actually capable of the job.
In both types of surgery, possible complications include bleeding, fever, slight to moderate pain, yellowish discharge that may or may not emit a bad smell, and red streaks on the area treated. Fortunately, these complications of wart removal surgery procedures can be managed with antibiotics for infections, analgesics for pain, and topical ointments for skin reactions. Your doctor should prescribe the medications and provide instructions on after-surgery care.
Costs of the Surgery
The costs for wart removal using surgical methods differ depending on the size and number of the warts as well as the location on the body on one hand and the method of treatment on the other hand. Thus, you will spend more money for the removal of several warts on the genitals as against a single wart on the hand. For laser surgery, the average cost is $360 while electrosurgery can go upwards of $500 including the medicines.
Your doctor should discuss which of these wart removal surgery procedures is most suitable for your condition. One thing is sure: If all else fails in the home remedies front, surgery is your best and last option in wart removal.