Why the diagnosis comes first
Viral warts, age warts and skin tags can look alike, yet they behave very differently. Only the viral wart is caused by HPV and is contagious. Freezing an age wart as if it were viral tends to fail, because no virus was ever involved.
Dr Sin Yong examines the lesion under magnification. The method then depends on site, depth, number of warts, skin type and past treatment. He carries out each procedure himself. No single method suits every wart.
Is it a wart?
Rough and firm. It interrupts the skin lines and shows pinpoint black dots under magnification. Common on hands, fingers, soles, around nails and in shaved areas.
Also called seborrhoeic keratosis. Waxy, stuck-on and tan to near-black, on the face, scalp, chest and back. Not viral and not contagious.
An outgrowth of collagen and vessels on a stalk, on the neck, underarms, eyelids, groin and under the breasts. See skin tag removal.
If it fits none of these, it is checked under a dermatoscope as a possible mole.
Wart removal treatment options in Singapore
Applied regularly, often as a first step for small common warts on hands and feet. It needs consistent use and paring, and its effect is modest.
Liquid nitrogen in repeated cycles for hand warts, and for plantar warts after paring. It stings, and blistering is expected.
Heat under local anaesthesia, for warts that have not responded to simpler care and for filiform facial warts.
Scraping under local anaesthesia with the base cauterised, for selected raised warts. It is not used on the sole.
Controlled layers of tissue are vaporised under local anaesthesia, for stubborn, nail-fold or multiple warts.
Warts on the sole of the foot
Callus is pared away first. Depth and pressure slow clearance, so cycles are repeated. Mosaic warts, where several merge, are treated as one plaque. Scars on the sole can stay tender for years, so curettage and deep ablation are used sparingly there. Corns are different: they keep their skin lines and have a glassy central core.
Warts around the nails
The tissue here is thin, with the nail matrix underneath. Deep freezing or cutting can deform the nail, so precise methods are favoured, such as controlled CO2 laser or careful electrosurgery. Nail-biting and picking are the usual routes of infection and need addressing too.
What treatment cannot do
HPV persists in normal-looking skin around the wart. Clearance depends on your immune system recognising infected cells.
Warts can return or spread through shaving over them, nail-biting, picking and barefoot walking on shared wet floors.
A scar-free result is not promised with any method.
Who is referred or biopsied
Genital warts, warts in people with lowered immunity, and extensive plantar disease.
Diabetes, poor circulation or foot numbness are examined first and may be referred.
Growths that bleed unprompted, grow fast, ulcerate or change colour. Also anything under or beside a nail in an adult, and recurrence in one spot later in life.
Risks and side effects
Cryotherapy can leave pale or dark marks, more so in darker skin. Electrosurgery, curettage and CO2 laser leave a small crusted wound, and depth is controlled to limit scarring. Sun protection matters afterwards in darker skin types. Nail deformity is a risk with deep work around the nails. Please report increasing pain, spreading redness or pus promptly.
What to expect
How fees are set
Fees are set out at consultation, after examination. They depend on the number and site of warts, the method, how many cycles are staged, and any topical treatment used alongside.