{
  "what": "A viral wart is a growth of surface skin caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), contagious by contact and self-spread, that interrupts the skin lines and shows pinpoint black dots under magnification. At Dr Sin Yong's practice on Orchard Road, Singapore, wart removal starts by confirming the lesion is a viral wart rather than an age wart or skin tag, then choosing salicylic acid, cryotherapy, electrosurgery, curettage or CO2 laser by site, depth and number. None of them kills the virus, so recurrence is explained first.",
  "key_facts": [
    "Lookalikes: an age wart (seborrhoeic keratosis) is a waxy, stuck-on, non-viral plaque and a skin tag is a soft stalk of collagen and vessels; neither is contagious, and each is removed differently from a viral wart",
    "Methods: topical salicylic acid and cryotherapy are first-line for common warts in the British Association of Dermatologists guidelines; electrosurgery or radiofrequency, curettage and CO2 laser ablation under local anaesthesia are for warts that persist; no method suits every wart",
    "Plantar warts: on the weight-bearing sole the wart sits deeper under callus and is slower to clear; callus is pared first, curettage and deep ablation are used sparingly because sole scars can stay tender, and mosaic warts are treated as a plaque",
    "Periungual warts: thin tissue over the nail matrix means freezing or cutting too deeply can deform the nail, so precise CO2 laser ablation or careful electrosurgery is weighed over broad freezing",
    "Recurrence: HPV persists in normal-looking skin at the margin and clearance depends on the immune system, so recurrence after complete visible clearance is common; shaving, nail-biting, picking and shared wet floors re-seed new sites",
    "Referred, not treated here: genital warts, warts in someone with lowered immunity and extensive plantar disease go to a GP or dermatologist; feet with diabetes, poor circulation or numbness are examined before any destructive treatment",
    "Examined first: a growth that bleeds without injury, grows quickly, ulcerates, changes colour, or sits under a nail with nail lifting or splinter bleeding is examined, and sometimes biopsied, before anything is destroyed",
    "Performed by: Dr Sin Yong personally, examining each lesion with magnification; dark marks after a procedure are the main cosmetic risk in darker skin, so sun protection is part of aftercare, and a scarless result is not promised"
  ],
  "references": [
    "British Association of Dermatologists' guidelines for the management of cutaneous warts 2014. British Journal of Dermatology 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25273231/",
    "Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22972052/",
    "Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen versus topical salicylic acid application for cutaneous warts in primary care: randomized controlled trial. CMAJ 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20837684/",
    "Natural course of cutaneous warts among primary schoolchildren: a prospective cohort study. Annals of Family Medicine 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24019275/",
    "Dermoscopy of Subungual Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review. Cancers (Basel) 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41681918/"
  ],
  "owner_url": "https://drsinyong.com/wart-removal-singapore/",
  "doctor": "Dr Sin Yong, aesthetic physician, Orchard Road, Singapore",
  "updated": "2026-10-31"
}