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A safe, non-ablative method of removing common warts using a 1470 nm diode laser: Results of an 18-month follow-up of first patients
Radoslaw Spiewak, Piotr Sznelewski
Recommended citation format: Spiewak R, Sznelewski P: A safe, non-ablative method of removing common warts using a 1470 nm diode laser: Results of an 18-month follow-up of first patients. Estetol Med Kosmetol 2012; 2(3): 94-96.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14320/EMK.2012.019
Abstract
A novel, non-ablative method for removing common warts with a 1470 nm diode laser is described. The treatment involves a single application of energy to the wart. Initial outcomes with small and medium -size warts (diameter up to 6 mm, elevation up to 2 mm above the skin surface) seem very encouraging. The use of a laser allows for more precise destruction, compared to cryosurgery or topical anti-wart treatments. Using a 1470 nm diode laser (Swing, Metrum Cryoflex, Poland) with power set at 40 W and spot diameter set at 3 mm, the typical effective treatment consists of one pulse lasting from 80-100 ms (total energy density 45.3-56.6 J/cm2, corresponding with 3.2-4.0 Joules of energy per wart in a single dose). The pain caused by the treatment is moderate and short-lasting, the patients comparing it to the sensation caused by a drop of hot oil splashing from frying pan. Therefore, anesthesia does not seem necessary, except for people with a very low pain tolerance. The coagulated tissue of the wart remains on-site, thus ensuring the continuity of the
integument ("natural dressing"), and becomes only slowly demarcated, allowing for the formation of a cosmetic scar beneath it. In most cases, the treated area heals completely within 2-4 weeks. In contrast to traditional ablative methods of laser wart removal, this method is based on the principle of on-site coagulation without evaporation of the tissue, which prevents the formation of bioaerosols that may spread in the air, posing a substantial risk of infection to the treating doctor. The follow-up of the first two patients treated with the proposed method confirmed a complete effect, with no recurrences within 18 months after the single treatment. In the presented article, the first outcomes with this novel, non-ablative method of therapy of common warts are described, together with photographic documentation of the treatment results.
Keywords: common warts, verrucae vulgares, novel therapy, laser treatment, 1470 nm diode laser, non-ablative laser therapy, coagulation laser therapy
| Reprint (PDF) | Streszczenie | DOI: 10.14320/EMK.2012.019
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