Laser surgery for warts

Surgery Overview

Laser surgery uses an intense beam of light, or laser, to burn and destroy the wart tissue. It is usually done in a health professional's office or clinic. Local or general anesthetic may be used, depending on the number of warts to be removed or the size of the area to be treated.

What To Expect After Surgery

The wound will be painful for a few days after laser surgery. Recovery time depends on the location and number of warts removed.

After laser surgery, call your health professional if you have:

• Bleeding that lasts longer than 1 week.
• A fever.
• Severe pain.
• Bad-smelling or yellowish discharge, which may indicate an infection. Cleaning the wound area helps prevent infection.

Why It Is Done

Laser surgery may be considered when:

• Medication has failed, and it is necessary to remove the warts.
• Warts are large or widespread.
• Warts need to be treated during pregnancy. Your health professional will recommend when treatment should be done during pregnancy.

How Well It Works

One small study has shown that, in people already using salicylic acid treatment, a pulsed dye laser was effective in 66% of the people using it.¹ This success rate was similar to that for cryotherapy and cantharidin treatment of other people in the same study. Within a year of laser treatment, 30% of people had at least one wart recur.¹

Risks

There is a slight risk of infection associated with laser surgery. Signs of infection include:

• Increased pain, swelling, redness, tenderness, or heat.
• Red streaks extending from the area.
• Discharge of pus.
• Fever of 38°C (100°F) or higher with no other cause.

What To Think About

Laser surgery:

• Normally causes no scarring.
• Requires local anesthetic.
• Is more expensive than most other methods of wart removal.
• Is not recommended as an initial treatment.
• Is usually used for large, hard-to-cure warts.

There are concerns that laser treatment may increase the risk of having warts return by destroying the local immune system, allowing inactive viruses to become active.

Complete the surgery information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you prepare for this surgery.

Author:	Douglas Dana Sabra L. Katz-Wise Ralph Poore	Last Updated: January 10, 2007
Medical Review:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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