Wart Clinic: Cryotherapy
Due to Covid Holbrook has not re-started this service. We will update the website once we feel its safe to do so.
No appointment necessary. N.B. Not suitable for under 10s.
Warts are small rough lumps on the skin. They are caused by a virus (human papilloma virus) which causes a reaction in the skin.
There is no need to treat warts if they are not causing you any problems. Without treatment, about 3 in 10 warts have gone within 10 weeks, and most warts will have gone within 1-2 years, and leave no scar. The chance that a wart will go is greatest in children and young people. Sometimes warts last longer. In particular, warts in older people are sometimes more persistent and may last for several years.
Treatment can often clear warts more quickly.
One form of treatment is with cryotherapy, which is performed at this clinic. The wart is destroyed by freezing it to a temperature well below freezing using a liquid nitrogen spray. Some stinging starts during treatment and may continue through thawing, but settles within a few minutes. If you get pain later on take 1 or 2 paracetamol or ibuprofen. Redness and some swelling can be expected. In a day or two a water (or blood) blister may form, especially where the skin is thin and sensitive. The blister can be covered if you feel it necessary or if the blister bursts cover it with a clean, dry dressing. To clear the wart fully it can need several treatment sessions. Each treatment session is between 5-7 weeks apart. The chance of clearing a wart with freezing treatment is about the same as acid treatment although freezing tends to work quicker. Please note that there is a slight risk of scarring the nearby skin, and is not suitable for younger children (under 10 years old) or for people with poor circulation.
Alternative treatments include the use of salicylic acid paints/creams or covering the wart with duct tape. For further information regarding these treatments please follow this patient.co.uk link- http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Warts-and-Verrucas.htm