What should you know about wart removal injection?

A clinician first checks that the growth looks like a wart rather than a corn, callus, mole or another skin condition. The chosen medicine is delivered with a needle into the wart or nearby skin. The aim may be to trigger a local immune response, soften wart tissue, or help a stubborn lesion respond after other approaches have been insufficient.

The area can sting during the injection and may feel tender, swollen or irritated afterward. Several appointments may be needed, depending on the wart's size, location, thickness and response. Treatment of a wart does not prevent new warts from appearing elsewhere.

Tell the clinician about diabetes, reduced sensation, poor circulation, immune problems, pregnancy, allergies and medicines that affect bleeding or healing. Keep the treated skin clean, avoid picking at a crust or blister, and follow the dressing instructions you receive. Do not share towels, nail tools or footwear, and wash your hands after touching the wart or its dressing.

Wear comfortable footwear if the treated site is on a foot. Contact the clinic if you are unsure whether a reaction is expected or if the dressing becomes wet, loose or contaminated.

Arrange prompt review for spreading redness, increasing warmth, worsening swelling, pus, fever, severe pain, numbness, or bleeding that does not settle with firm pressure. Seek an assessment if the growth changes colour, bleeds without being touched, ulcerates, or does not resemble the wart you were told was being treated.

Ask which medicine is being considered, why an injection suits this wart, how many visits may be needed, what reaction is normal, and how the area should be protected afterward. Ask whether a sample or a different diagnosis should be considered if the growth is unusual.