Warts are a common infection of the skin caused by a virus. They can occur on any part of the body, but most commonly on the hands, feet, and to a lesser extent on the arms, legs, face, and even in the genital area. They are infectious, and can be transmitted from person to person.
The treatment options that exist include:

• Liquid nitrogen (freezing),
• Cutting out the warts (electrodessication and curettage),
• Use of anti-wart medicines that contain salicylic acid (such as Gordo- film, Mediplast- both available at the Center; or Occlusal, Duofilm, Dr.Scholls-available at the pharmacy)
• Use of medications that stimulate the immune system locally (like Aldara/Imiquimod),
• Laser therapy with the V beam or other lasers,
• Injection with an anti-cancer drug as Bleomycin, immunotherapy with Candida antigen, etc.

There is no treatment that is guaranteed to clear up warts in every person, though most people do respond to any one of the above methods. Multiple treatments may be required, requiring multiple visits to the office and several methods may be used depending on response. The treated areas may develop new lesions, or the warts may enlarge, and occasionally the treated areas may not resolve. Rarely, the treated areas maybe either darker or lighter in color, and a scar may develop in these areas.

After the warts have been treated in the office, please clean the areas with soap and water once a day, and apply Aquaphor or Vaseline petroleum jelly ointment and a Band-Aid until the areas are healed. After healing occurs (usually 7 to 10 days), then the warts can be filed with a nail file or emery board, and any of the above anti- wart medicines can be applied at bedtime (Gordofilm, Mediplast, Occlusal, Duofilm, Dr. Schools, etc.), and then the area may be covered with a Band-Aid. In the morning the area is cleaned, and the process is repeated the next night. If it becomes painful, please stop. Continue until your provider tells you to stop or until no remnant of the wart is visible.

For genital warts, the area can be cleaned with soap and water and Aquaphor or Vaseline petroleum jelly ointment can be applied twice a day until the sites have healed. Once healing has occurred, then either Aldara/Imiquimod, Veregen, or Condylox/Podofilox/Podophyllin etc. can be applied at bedtime, initially three times a week, and if the area has not become irritated this can be increased to every night. If irritation does occur, the frequency of application can be reduced back down to three times a week or less as tolerated.

Most insurance plans cover wart treatment, and if you have any questions regarding coverage, please call your insurance company directly. The most frequently used billing code for wart destruction is 17110 or 17111 depending on the number of warts- you can ask what your financial responsibility will be.
 

Referenced from “Warts”