Wart treatment in Zurich

Warts are harmless growths on the surface of the skin. They typically occur on the hands, feet, face or genital area. Warts usually do not cause any discomfort. Condylomas (genital warts) sometimes itch. There are different types of warts - the most common form is the so-called vulgar wart. This is often found on the fingers, face and fingernails.

Vulgar warts can be as big as a pea, and the surface is usually dry and fissured. Plane warts often occur in children and adolescents. These are flat and rarely larger than a few millimetres. These warts also mostly affect the hands and face.

The best-known wart in the area of the feet is the plantar wart. This wart, which usually appears under the soles of the feet, grows deep into the skin like a thorn. This can lead to considerable pain when standing and walking. Plantar warts are caused by viruses.

Another virus-induced wart is the dell wart. It occurs mainly on the face, arms and legs. People and especially children who suffer from neurodermatitis or very dry and sensitive skin are more often affected by dell warts.

Stalk warts (fibromas) and age warts are called such, but strictly speaking they are not real warts. Stalk warts are small connective tissue growths (always benign) and age warts are dry and horny, often scaly and usually brown pigmented skin changes. Age warts (verrucae seborrhoicae) increase with age. These are harmless skin changes. The diagnosis of whether it is really an age wart or a stalk wart must always be made by an experienced dermatologist.

Treatment varies depending on the cause of the wart. In the case of skin changes such as fibromas (stalk warts) and age warts, treatment with the ablative laser has proven successful. At the Swiss Derma Clinic in Zurich, we carry out this treatment with the latest laser systems. Your advantages:

Removal of the wart-like skin change within seconds with minimal scarring (depending on the wart depth).

In addition, we perform the HPV vaccination as a prophylaxis against virus-induced warts such as condylomas.

A special form of warts are the so-called condylomata. Condylomas are caused by certain viruses. The warts appear as harmless but contagious nodules in the upper layers of the skin. They are often found in the area of the genital organs or on the anus. In some rare cases, the mucous membrane in the mouth or throat is also affected. At the beginning, a rough, slightly raised area of skin is typical, which can grow considerably in the course of time and form a fissured and sometimes weeping surface. The good news: condylomas are always benign. About one to two percent of adults are infected. The trigger is an infection with papilloma viruses/HPV viruses. Infection usually occurs through close physical contact (e.g. sexual intercourse) or in rare cases through door handles, saunas or shared towels.

Note: Only a specialist can diagnose whether a skin change is a wart or a genital wart. If you have a skin lesion, always seek medical advice for your own safety.

Experienced specialists can often recognise warts and the different subtypes by eye. In a detailed consultation, we will inform you about the causes, treatment options and preventive measures.

Up to now, warts have mainly been treated with tinctures, salicylic acid and icing. The treatment is not infrequently lengthy and it is not effective for all forms of warts. Regular and repeated use is important for all therapies. In addition, you should pay attention to good hygiene in everyday life so that the virus-related warts do not spread to other areas of the skin. If possible, you should also avoid infecting other people.

Laser treatment has proven particularly effective for fibromas and age warts. The treatment is done by laser ablation. The wart is intensively heated by the laser and subsequently destroyed. A single laser treatment is usually sufficient to completely remove the wart.

First, we disinfect the area around your wart or verruca. This is followed by a local anaesthetic. You will now feel nothing from the laser treatment itself. To protect your eyes from the light of the laser beams, we hand you special protective goggles before the treatment. The duration of the laser treatment depends on the amount of warts we remove in one session. In almost all cases, a few seconds to a few minutes are sufficient.

There will be a small wound at the site of the wart afterwards. Change the plaster or bandage regularly. Please follow our recommendations. We will tell you exactly when and how often you should change the plasters on the day of treatment. Do not go into the swimming pool or sauna until the wound has healed. After deeper warts have been removed, this can take up to a month. When the anaesthetic wears off, the treated skin area may hurt slightly. Simple painkillers usually help here.

The ablative laser treatment takes a maximum of a few minutes. In this time, the entire wart is removed. The healing of the treated skin area can take between a few days and a month, depending on the depth. The removal of warts with the ablative laser is the most effective method in this area. We would be happy to inform you in detail about the laser treatment in your case in a consultation. At the Swiss Derma Clinic in Zurich, we work with the latest medical technology equipment.