The Warts on My Hands Are Embarrassing: Can You Help?

You find yourself hiding your hands, or maybe you hesitate to take someone else’s hand, thanks to a few warts that have made you more self-conscious.

The most important thing to understand about the warts on your hands is that they are most likely benign and not a sign of a serious issue. The second important point is that they are common — in fact, we call them common warts, and they affect about 10% of the global population.

The third most important point about warts is that the team here at Z-ROC Dermatology can make quick work of them, restoring smooth skin to your hand(s). Under the direction of Dr. Matthew Zarraga and Dr. Khongruk Wongkittiroch, we routinely help our patients rid their hands of troublesome warts, and we’re happy to do the same for you.

Here, we look at the effective treatments we offer for common warts.

A quick word about common warts

Before diving into your treatment options, we want to review why these warts have appeared on your hands quickly. As we mentioned, these growths are called common warts or verruca vulgaris, and they typically form on your hands, though they can appear on your toes, knees, and other parts of your body.

Common warts are more prevalent among kids, but many carry them into adulthood.

All warts result from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and in the case of common warts, the likely culprits are HPV types 2 or 4, though other strains can also lead to warts.

Waving goodbye to warts

Since there are no medical concerns regarding warts, your treatment options are pretty straightforward — we remove the skin growths.

There are over-the-counter products marketed as wart removers, but they require time and patience on your part as they work slowly.

Instead of wasting time and energy on these products, we suggest coming to us for medical-grade solutions that work more quickly and effectively.  During your visit, we assess the size and location of your wart(s) and then recommend one of the following:

Liquid nitrogen

With this cryotherapy approach, we use liquid nitrogen to freeze your wart. After your treatment, a blister forms around the wart, and over the following week or two, the blister eventually goes away, and your wart falls off.

Curettage and electrodesiccation

We use an electrical current to remove the skin growth.

Topical solutions

We might also prescribe topical solutions, such as Canterhone®, which contains two ingredients — salicylic acid and cantharidin — that can quickly eliminate warts.

Laser therapy

We use a laser to destroy the blood vessels that service the warts.

We can also turn to traditional surgery to remove your warts, but the above options provide excellent results and minimize scarring and collateral tissue damage.

To determine which wart removal option is best for clearing your hands of these growths, we invite you to schedule an appointment at our Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office.