What to expect from electrosurgery for warts

Warts are caused by a virus affecting the outer skin. After examining the growth and numbing the area, the clinician uses an electrical device to destroy the wart and may remove the treated tissue. The site can be tender, red, or swollen and commonly develops a scab as it repairs. The exact approach depends on the wart’s size, thickness, location, and whether it has responded to earlier treatment. New warts can still develop because the virus may remain in surrounding skin.

Wash your hands before touching the site and follow the dressing or ointment plan provided. Keep the area clean, avoid picking the scab, and do not share towels, nail tools, socks, or footwear that contact the wart area. Covering the site may reduce rubbing and spread. Wait for clinician advice before swimming or returning to activities that soak or stress the wound. Report a wart that changes, returns quickly, or fails to heal as expected.

Seek advice if pain, redness, warmth, or swelling is worsening, or if pus, fever, or an unpleasant smell develops. Prompt review is also sensible for persistent bleeding, numbness, reduced movement near a treated joint, or a wound that remains open. Urgent care is needed for uncontrolled bleeding or rapidly spreading swelling.

Ask how to dress the wound, when the area can get wet, how to reduce spread to other skin, and what to do if a wart reappears.