Mole and Warts Removal

Moles and warts are very different conditions. Moles are benign while warts appear due to a viral infection. Moles are small spots or areas in the skin where the melanocytes produced excess melanin. The skin in that area becomes darkened. Moles start as flat pigmented spots on the skin but may become raised with time. Hair often grows on it too. Warts are undue skin growths caused due to infection by an HPV or Human Papillomavirus at the site. Warts are recognisable by the black spots in them, which is the blood supply to the excess skin. Warts are contagious. Picking at or shaving over a wart and touching another part will spread warts. The infection spreads faster through cuts. People with a weak or compromised immune system are more susceptible. These include children, elders, people on autoimmune disease medications and AIDS patients.

Procedure

Treatments for moles are microdermabrasion, laser or pulsed light therapy or surgical removal. Microdermabrasion, surgical shaving and laser therapy works best for superficial moles. In microdermabrasion, the dermatologist scours off the pigmented skin an abrasive instrument. Surgical shaving involves scraping off the mole with a scalpel. Laser breaks down the melanin or melanocytes to remove the pigmentation. In surgical excision, the surgeon cuts off the mole and stitches the sides together. Local or mild general anaesthesia is enough in all cases.

Warts do have some home remedies. You can soak the wart in warm water, rub it with a filer and put a salicylic acid formula over it. Glycolic acid and tretinoin are other options. But doing this at home has the risk of infection. So, it is best to visit a doctor for warts removal. Doctors can better ensure that the infection does not spread. Imiquimod cream(Aldara), bleomycin, fluorouracil and interferon injection prevent further infection. But HPV is not curable, so warts may recur in the future. Surgery can be simple excision, curettage, cryosurgery or electrosurgery. Curettage is the same as surgical shaving. Cryosurgery uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the wart and make it fall off. Electrosurgery burns off the wart and the doctor removes it. The doctor performs the procedure under mild anaesthesia, general or local.