Pulsed Dye Laser Surgery A Revolutionary Treatment For Warts

By Bruce Fox, DPM

Every year 3.5 million people in the United States are treated for verruca, or warts. A wart is an infection caused by a virus. This virus lives deep underneath the skin in the part of the skin that contains the blood supply. They can grow alone becoming larger or grow in clusters and if left untreated can spread to other parts of the foot. Warts are most commonly seen on the bottom of the foot and are commonly mistaken for corns and calluses.

How This Treatment Works

The Pulsed Dye Laser is a device that emits a tiny, but powerful pulse of light that is absorbed by the pigment within the red blood cells of the wart. The light is generated when the laser medium a concentrated dye is stimulated by a flashlamp energy source. This light is then directed at the wart using a pencil-like hand piece.

The wart's nutritional blood flow is cut off by the absorption of this light. The laser also obliterates the virus at the base of its membrane deep underneath the skin.

Advantages Of the

Pulsed Dye Laser

It has an overall success rate of approximately 93% and treatment is also painless

By using the Pulsed Dye Laser, warts can now be removed without anesthesia

Perfect treatment for children or cowards

It is non invasive

Its unique ability to selectively treat the wart without adversely affecting the surrounding skin.

There is no open wound following the procedure, so patients can resume their active lifestyles immediately

The pulsed dye laser leaves no open lesions following treatment resulting in little chance of post-treatment infection

Safe and Effective

Depending on the size and type of wart, some conditions will respond to the very first treatment with Pulsed Dye Laser. However, most will require additional treatment sessions. The majority of patients are able to return to normal daily activities almost immediately. Many patients are even able to participate in sports the day after treatment for plantar verruca. This is a tremendous improvement in the area of plantar verruca, where other treatment methods such as CO2 laser vaporization and excision often resulted in large lesions on the sole of the foot that make walking very painful.