Wart Removal in San Antonio, TX
The body’s beauty has always been a cornerstone of human happiness. How we feel about our appearance plays a critical role in our self-esteem. However, beauty is something we can’t always control, and there’s a lot of subjectiveness in this complex matter; beauty is, as they say, in the eye of the beholder.
No one should see happiness as impossible to achieve because of their physical aspect, especially when we consider that many elements that people see as ugly or unattractive can be remedied with a bit of professional attention. One of these elements is the wart, particularly when located on a visible part of the body. Though extremely common, warts have a reputation as being among the most embarrassing blemishes out there, and they can also bring discomfort or pain, depending on where they’re located.
Fortunately, the latest health innovations have enabled us to remove these unwanted guests from our bodies with minimal fuss. Here at RFSA Dermatology, we have several highly efficient methods of eliminating warts. If you need wart removal in San Antonio, we’ll be glad to set up a consultation to take you through your options.
What are Warts?
Warts, also known as verrucas, are typically small, hard, rough-textured growths that are similar in color to the rest of the patient’s skin, which is one of the reasons why people tend not to notice them at first. Unless the wart pops up on the bottom of the feet, which can be very uncomfortable, it doesn’t result in any physical symptoms.
While warts can appear on any part of the body, they usually show up on the hands and feet. They sometimes occur in groups, which can be considerably more annoying. However—to correct a widespread misconception many people have about warts—they are not at all cancerous.
An interesting fact about these growths is that you can find the first reports about them in ancient medical texts. These texts reveal that warts have been a known condition since the era of Hippocrates, who many people consider the “Father of Medicine.”
Of course, things were different back then, and the problems these growths once represented for the vast majority of people have nothing to do with the realities of today. While a wart may have constituted a permanent disfiguration for someone in Hippocrates’s time, modern humans can walk into their local dermatology clinic and have their unwanted growths removed in just a few treatments.
What Causes Them?
Warts are a common symptom of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that affects between 80% and 90% of the adult population in the United States. A few compounding factors can increase the risk of infection, including working with meat, a weak immune system, eczema, or using public pools and showers. Studies have suggested that HPV can enter the body through a part of the skin that is thoroughly wet or slightly damaged.
It’s worth noting that warts won’t typically appear until some time after getting infected, which is why many people find it almost impossible to determine the exact moment they got the virus. It can take a couple of weeks or months for a growth to appear on your body after getting infected. On a positive note, even though they can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, they aren’t considered very contagious.
HPV can be contracted indirectly from surfaces or objects that have been contaminated, like the area surrounding the swimming pool. Plantar warts on the bottom of the foot are the most common type you’ll get from touching these surfaces. Wearing shoes or sandals at the pool or in gym showers will help mitigate the risk of acquiring warts this way.
Far from being a shameful outlier, warts are extremely common, with the vast majority of people becoming infected with HPV at some point in their lives. The current rate of non-genital verrucas among the general population is between 1 percent and 13 percent, being most common among young people.
Types of Warts
Warts come in a wide variety of shapes, textures, and locations on the body. Here are a few of the most common types.
Common
The common verruca looks like a raised, hard lump with a rough surface. It can appear on any part of your body; however, hands and knees are the most common sites.
Flat
Also known as verruca plana, this wart looks like a smooth, flattened lump and can affect any body part.
Mosaic
This type of wart always appears as a small group of clustered verrucas. This cluster only appears on the hands or the soles of the feet.
Filiform
This type looks like long, thin threads that normally appear on the face, particularly near the lips and eyelids.
Plantar
These verrucas are small, hard bumps often characterized by minuscule black dots. They mainly affect the bottom of the foot.
Genital
This is one of the most common types of warts and the only one that is sexually transmitted. It looks like a grey lump with a grainy “cauliflower” appearance that typically affects the anus, vulva, or penis.
Treatment Options
When you sign up for wart removal in San Antonio from RFSA Dermatology, your clinician will first determine what type of verruca you have. The variety of wart and its location can help determine which treatment option is best for you. The different types of treatments include:
- Topical chemicals
- Immune system stimulator
- Cryotherapy
- Curettage and electrocautery
- Gardasil vaccination
- Laser therapy
It’s important to consider that some types of warts can go away on their own, though this can take months or years.
Why Choose RFSA Dermatology?
RFSA Dermatology is your best choice for efficient, compassionate treatment if you need wart removal in San Antonio. Our skilled team of board-certified dermatologists and physician assistants has extensive experience and knowledge about different types of warts and the safest ways to remove them. We’ll work with you to determine the treatment plan that’s best for you.
Book a Consultation Today!
There’s no time like the present to get back to loving the skin you’re in. Book now below for reliable and efficient wart removal in San Antonio. We look forward to serving you!
