What should you know about CO2 laser wart removal?

The laser can vaporise targeted tissue and seal small blood vessels as the area is treated. Local anaesthetic may be used, and the treated spot can become tender, swollen, crusted, or discoloured while it heals. A wart is caused by a viral infection in the skin, so removing visible tissue does not always prevent another wart from appearing. Location matters: treatment on a finger, sole, face, or genital area has different practical and cosmetic considerations. A suspicious or changing growth should be assessed rather than treated as a wart.

Confirm the diagnosis, the reason laser is being suggested, and whether other wart-removal options are suitable. Tell the clinician about poor wound healing, immune problems, medicines, and previous reactions to local anaesthetic. Keep the wound clean and covered as instructed, wash your hands after touching it, and do not pick the crust. Avoid sharing towels, razors, or nail tools that contact the area. Attend review if requested so persistent or returning tissue can be examined. See Wart Removal for the wider treatment overview.

Contact the clinic for bleeding that does not settle with firm pressure, increasing pain, spreading redness, pus, fever, or a wound that is not healing. Seek prompt review if the lesion changes, returns quickly, or was never confidently diagnosed. Urgent care is appropriate for severe swelling or signs of a serious allergic reaction.

Ask how the wart was identified, whether the treatment will leave a wound or scar, how to reduce spread to other skin, what alternatives exist, and how recurrence will be checked.