Warts are benign growths that happen when skin gets infected by a virus. They can happen to anyone of any age, gender, race, and lifestyle. Unfortunately, they are contagious, so it's absolutely possible to spread them to others or catch them from someone else.

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The most common cause of warts is HPV (human papillomavirus). This virus gets into and infects the top layer of skin, resulting in little growths that spread easily. You can get a wart as a result of touching someone else's wart, or even from touching something a wart has touched.

It's easier for HPV to spread and cause warts when you have a cut or scrape on your skin. It can even make you more likely to have warts when you've recently shaved. Though they spread easily and can be annoying to deal with, they're benign and pose no health risks.

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Warts will sometimes go away on their own, but it's not likely you want to wait that long! At Elias Dermatology, we offer many treatments to get rid of your warts quickly and efficiently. Sometimes warts can be treated by applying solutions like cantharidin or liquid nitrogen. Cantharidin causes a blister to grow under the wart, leading to it falling off in about a week. Liquid nitrogen freezes the wart off in a procedure called cryotherapy.

Other treatments include burning or scraping warts off, or even cutting out the growth. In some cases, light therapy, chemical peels, or immunotherapy may be effective in getting rid of warts and keeping them from growing back.

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When a wart is frozen, scraped, or burned off, its removal is immediate. Other treatments may take a week or more to work, but in almost all cases, warts can be treated relatively quickly.

If you're suffering from warts and are looking for relief, the friendly, helpful staff of professionals at Elias Dermatology is here to help. Let's get started with a consultation.

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