How effective is electrosurgery for warts?

Electrosurgery uses heat to destroy wart tissue, usually after the area is numbed. The clinician may first shave or scrape thick surface skin so the energy reaches the lesion. This can be useful for a single stubborn wart or a wart in a location where a quick, focused procedure is appropriate.

Pain, tenderness, crusting and a temporary wound are expected possibilities. Thick plantar warts can be challenging because pressure on the foot stresses the healing area. A wart near a nail, on the face or in a sensitive site needs especially careful planning to limit damage and visible marks.

Tell the clinician if you have diabetes, reduced sensation, poor circulation, immune suppression, a tendency to form raised scars, or medicines that affect bleeding. Keep the dressing and wound care exactly as instructed, wash hands after touching the area, and avoid sharing towels or picking at the site. Wear footwear that reduces pressure on a treated foot.

Contact the clinic for worsening pain, spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever or bleeding that will not settle with pressure. Seek review if the lesion grows back, spreads, changes appearance, or remains an uncertain diagnosis. A painful foot wound deserves earlier assessment when sensation or circulation is reduced.

Ask whether the lesion is definitely a wart, why electrosurgery is suitable for its site, whether scraping will be combined with it, how to protect the wound, and what signs suggest recurrence or infection. Ask about the chance of a lasting mark on your skin.