If you have a patient who has any of the following scenarios, they will agree to see them, but these factors have to be very clearly indicated on the consult:
- warts on the face
- warts on the genitals
- the patient is immunocompromised
Otherwise, they say that topical Soluver Plus for plantar warts, and regular Soluver for warts elsewhere has been definitively proven to be as effective as cryotherapy, provided it is done properly. This is what they recommend:
- the wart cannot be properly treated unless it properly exposed (i.e. it is often covered by too many layers of thick skin for the therapy to penetrate effectively)
- the area of skin first needs to be well soaked, and then exfoliated aggressively (especially for plantar warts) with a pumice stone, ideally removing all of the overlying scale
- the therapy oftentimes needs to be done daily for a duration of 2-3 months
This preparation does not require a prescription. Note that in general any of the salicylic acid preparations are very effective, the Soluver happens to be our Dermatologist's preference.
Note that the above is the recommended therapy if the family decides they want to treat the wart, otherwise, simple warts are generally self-limited, and will resolve on their own with time.
Thank you to Dr. Jafarian, MCH Dermatology for her advice.
