Laser wart removal is the most effective way to remove vegetation on the soles of feet, hands and fingers. Blood clotting is performed under local anesthesia, so this method is very suitable for sensitive areas-eyelids, lips, neck, armpits, beards, external genitals. This method is much less destructive than chemical and freezing.
Laser quickly removes warts and disinfects the wound at the same time. It rarely produces scars, and its effectiveness is higher than other known methods. However, laser wart removal has contraindications and possible consequences. Therefore, you should evaluate all the pros and cons before using this method.
What is the methodology based on
The laser beam is a powerful focused beam that can generate high temperatures in the tissues of the affected area, causing liquid evaporation and tumor necrosis. Essentially, this is a laser burning of warts.
Depending on the type, the effect of the laser may vary. The equipment used in cosmetology is divided into three categories:
- Traditional CO2 laser with constant radiation. Used for skin changes such as condyloma acuminata, common warts, and molluscum contagiosum. Continuous exposure to the light beam can quickly remove warts, but the risk of scars or deep wounds is quite high.
- Pulse laser. Has less focus and eliminates skin burns. The flat papilloma on the face is removed with a pulsed device.
- Erbium laser. The safest technology will not cause burns. The efficiency of removing carbon dioxide is 12 times that of carbon dioxide.
Each technology has its own expertise. The feeling and results after the operation not only depend on the type of laser, but also on the size and location of the tumor, and of course, it also depends on the quality of the work of the expert. Therefore, laser wart removal should only be performed in licensed specialist clinics.
Indications and contraindications
The laser can be used for various operations:
- Laser removal of plantar warts-this tumor develops on the skin of the feet and is a solid layer of stratum corneum with a central rod;
- Remove common or vulgar warts;
- Removal of flat warts-the nodules range from 1 mm to 1 cm, slightly higher than the skin surface, but the color is not different from the skin surface.
The technology has no localization restrictions. With the help of laser, you can remove warts on the face, legs, arms, armpits, and genitals, that is, almost all areas where the body or beauty defects are obvious. Especially effective is the laser treatment of palm formation-single and multiple. When warts are burned off with a laser, recurrence can usually be avoided.
To avoid pigmentation, wound tissue infection, and keloid formation, it is not recommended to take a hot bath, sit in a steam bath, go to a swimming pool or open water, or take action on the wound within the first month. Aggressive cosmetics for skin.
Laser wart removal is a surgical procedure with its own series of contraindications. The laser method is not suitable for the following situations:
- Acute infectious diseases, colds, flu, SARS;
- Chronic symptoms in the worsening stage;
- mental illness;
- Herpes outbreak, shingles;
- Remove skin irritation and solar dermatitis in the area near the wart;
- high temperature;
- Serious diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- Pulmonary insufficiency;
- hypertension;
- Severe kidney or liver damage.
Malignant tumors are not affected by laser removal. Patients with cancer and systemic metabolic disorders should not use this operation. It is also not recommended to remove warts by laser destruction during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Is it possible to use this method to remove warts in children?
In answering this question, experts pointed out that as long as the defect starts to cause serious inconvenience, children of any age can use laser to remove warts. If surgery is needed on your child, then laser surgery is best because it has the least trauma.
In most cases, this defect will be observed in children after 5 years of age. Sometimes they form on the soles of the feet and cause physical discomfort because they rub and cause pain when walking. Heel warts in children usually disappear on their own within 1-1. 5 years and do not require treatment. However, if the formation grows and starts to bleed, it must be removed. This wart may require a longer healing period, but it is also very suitable for laser removal.
Less commonly, warts appear on the face and hands and look like flesh-colored or yellow patches. They may be invisible, but if there are a lot of warts, then this may cause psychological problems. Now, when lasers appear in the arsenal of dermatologists-beauticians, one cannot expect children to "grow up" problems, but sign up to remove defects.
For children, laser wart removal is performed under local anesthesia and does not cause pain. The operation usually lasts a few minutes, and healing takes a few days. Laser removal of genital warts usually has no consequences.
How to remove warts with laser
To prevent complications, it is recommended to reduce the light load on the skin and avoid exposure to chemicals before using lasers to remove warts. One week before the operation, you need to give up sunbathing and sunbathing. If laser burning of warts is performed in summer, it is recommended to use a cream with a high SPF index.
Before the operation, you should have a physical examination and clarify whether there are contraindications. Laser cauterization of warts involves complete removal of the wart; it is impossible to collect materials for histological examination. Therefore, the quality inspection must be passed in advance. Before moxibustion, the expert will examine the tumor, choose the intensity of the laser irradiation, and clarify the nature of the anesthesia.
The procedure itself is precise and subtle. The concentrated light particle stream generates high temperature on the surface of the lesion, and the tissue evaporates layer by layer from top to bottom. The surgeon is careful not to touch adjacent tissues. The laser beam also burns the blood vessels that feed the warts, thus eliminating bleeding from the wound. The organic matter is completely burned, and the laser beam disinfects the wound.
The duration of this process depends on the size and location of the formation. This can be 1-2 minutes to half an hour. The laser takes the longest to remove plantar warts-the beam must evaporate the growths, including the roots, to prevent the virus from re-spreading. Only one laser operation can remove foot warts, which is the most effective treatment method available today.
The final stage is wound treatment. After the laser is removed, there will be a bloodless burn mark, which will disappear within 1-2 weeks after the operation, depending on the level of care and rest. Then, the doctor will explain what to do after the laser has removed the warts and how to care for the wound until it is fully recovered.
Advantages and disadvantages of laser method
Laser treatment of warts is the most modern, effective and fastest way to remove unwanted vegetation. This program has several advantages:
- Painless
- The wound is sterile and the risk of infection is almost zero;
- No bleeding after treatment;
- No damage to surrounding tissues;
- The risk of scars, scars, and skin discoloration is the lowest;
- Short-term contact with the device-you can burn off the papilloma on your face in 3-5 minutes, and on the sole of your shoe, the treatment will take up to half an hour;
- Only one course of treatment can remove warts;
- The laser is suitable for any type and positioning of growth;
- A slight risk of recurrence, because the human papillomavirus is destroyed along with the affected tissue;
- There is no age limit.
The main disadvantage of this procedure is its cost. It should also be remembered that after removing particularly large warts, the marks are still there. In rare cases, small tissues may also leave scars-they appear due to the tissue's low regeneration characteristics. If you violate the rules of postoperative care, there is a risk of inflammation and suppuration of the wound. It takes a long period of rest to remove the spikes on the sole with a laser. Large lesions also take longer to heal.
Local anesthesia itself can cause side effects such as dizziness, pressure changes, drowsiness, and general fatigue. If you have a negative reaction to anesthesia, you should warn your doctor or consider other methods.
Will it hurt to remove warts with laser?
If you are worried about whether it hurts children and adults to use laser to remove warts, it is futile. The operation is performed under local anesthesia, and the patient will not feel what is happening. But for young children, they may feel psychological discomfort. Whether the child will cry in the chair of the laser surgeon depends on the initial attitude. Remember, it is not recommended to remove it during illness.
This method is considered the most painless-laser removal of warts in children is more acceptable than freezing destruction, electrocoagulation, and chemical destruction. The wart is completely removed, and the skin heals faster than other methods after the operation.
Removal of plantar warts with a laser will cause slightly higher postoperative discomfort, because the area of the barbs is usually larger than other areas, and the sole area of the foot receives more pressure.
But during the operation, the growth will be removed without discomfort. Parents need not worry-laser burns of warts will not hurt, although healing is sometimes unpleasant.
Consequences and possible complications
Laser wart removal has advantages and disadvantages. Some patients complain that the papilloma is severely removed or healed painfully. This situation may be due to insufficient qualifications of the surgeon and the behavior or tendency of the patient himself.
Delete growth in a session. The main complications and consequences of laser wart removal are scars and scars. They are due to:
- Keloids are easy to form on the skin;
- Wounds and infections;
- Violation of nursing rules during recovery.
Scars are inevitable, and large wounds deepen under the papillary layer of the skin. At the same time, the color of the skin changes.
If the scar is located in a hidden part of the body that is invisible to outsiders, it does not need to be removed. When there is a significant risk of cosmetic defects, patients are advised to use drugs that prevent rough scar formation. Later, large keloid scars can be removed by cryo-destruction, microwave therapy, and electrocoagulation. In addition, individual recommendations are given on how to deal with wounds.
Possible complications include burns and redness, as well as swelling in case of sensitivity to light. During the recovery period, in accordance with regulations, such consequences will not occur. If the burn appears and does not go away, you should consult a dermatologist.
After the operation, the low-heat temperature can be maintained for a few days, which is the body's natural response. But when the patient scratches the wound and causes infection, inflammation may appear at the site of the removed papilloma. If it does not go away for more than 10 days, you should contact the surgeon who performed the operation. The doctor will prescribe antiseptics and antibiotics to treat the wound.
The sensation after surgery can cause special discomfort due to poor pain tolerance or open wound edges. If the wound becomes infected and inflamed, the pain will get worse. In this case, you need to see a doctor-you may need to rinse with disinfectant, suture, or take pain medicine. The important thing is not to self-medicate, but to see a specialist for any signs of discomfort.
Laser wart removal-how long does the wound heal?
After laser wart removal in the clinic, you will receive the first instructions on how to care for the wound. Healing takes place in several stages:
- First, a scab will form on the wound-a dry scab, under which the tissue heals.
- Under normal circumstances, if normal wound care is performed after the wart is removed with a laser without combing, the crust will fall off after 5-10 days, depending on the area of the wound, the age of the patient and the ability of the skin to regenerate.
- One month after the removal, the relief and color of the skin became uniform and indistinguishable from the surrounding tissues.
Existing diseases, such as diabetes, coagulopathy, and hormonal imbalance, can prolong the healing period. These factors are contraindications to surgery. As immunity is suppressed, lack of proper wound care, drinking and smoking can slow down the regeneration process, the recovery period is delayed. In these cases, it is impossible to tell exactly how well the wound has healed after the laser has removed the wart.
The surgeon will explain in detail how and how to treat the wound after the laser is used to remove the wart. The care of this wound needs to prevent mechanical damage. If it is a plantar wart, it is best to sit at home and walk barefoot on the first day, keeping the intervention site in the open. If you need to walk, please use comfortable shoes.
The wound in any part should not get wet for at least 3 days after the operation, or better-when the scab disappears. For daily processing, potassium permanganate is usually used. After the crust has fallen off, lubricate the small diameter with a scar-forming agent.
Prevent recurrence
Once inside the body, the human papillomavirus that causes the wart to grow does not leave it and is activated when the immune system is suppressed. There is no 100% guarantee that warts will not reappear after removal. But you can minimize the risk.
Buying immediately after surgery means not treating the skin area after removing the warts with a laser-preservatives, not including alcohol or corrosive chemicals. Before the wound is completely healed, no cosmetics or tape should be applied to the intervention site.
The risk of recurrence depends on the individual characteristics of your body. In the presence of skin diseases, weakened immunity, and multiple tumors, the risk will increase. If the wound surface is completely smooth during the recovery period, there is little chance of the wart recurrence.
Surgical costs
The cost of using lasers to remove warts is higher than other methods, such as the use of liquid nitrogen, radio waves, or electrocoagulation. But on the other hand, this process allows you to get rid of defects in one session. What is better-use laser or nitrogen to remove warts, the patient and the attending doctor make a decision based on the possibility and contraindications.
The price range depends on the clinic’s policy, the equipment used, the qualifications of the surgeon, and the location of the tumor. The price of the initial consultation is also worth considering.