OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of palmoplantar wart removal using long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser after application of a moisturizing cream. BACKGROUND: Previously described laser treatments for wart removal are associated with negative side effects and need to pare the warts before laser treatment. PATIENTS/ METHODS: Two hundred forty patients (142 males, 98 females) were treated for 1-40 palmoplantar warts by long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser (spot size 4-6 mm, pulse duration 20 msec, fluence 200 J/cm2) after covering the wart surface with a thin film of a moisturizing cream. The endpoint was lesion graying or whitening with or without development of a hemorrhagic bulla beneath the treated wart. Color photographs were taken before and immediately after each laser session and at 1, 4, and 16 weeks after the last session. RESULTS: The overall clearance rate was 97%, with 90% of treated patients cured after one session, 4% after two, and 3% after three. Clearance rate after three laser sessions decreased linearly with the number of warts from 100% to 95%. Less accessible wart location in interdigital spaces also decreased the cure rate after three sessions from 100% to 95%. Additionally, warts became more difficult to eradicate as they aged. Remission lasted up to 6 years, and complications were mild and infrequent (17.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This novel method is effective in removing palmoplantar warts. It is easier, time-saving, and safer than other methods described in previous studies conducted with ablative or nonablative lasers.
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of palmoplantar wart removal using long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser after application of a moisturizing cream. BACKGROUND: Previously described laser treatments for wart removal are associated with negative side effects and need to pare the warts before laser treatment. PATIENTS/ METHODS: Two hundred forty patients (142 males, 98 females) were treated for 1-40 palmoplantar warts by long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser (spot size 4-6 mm, pulse duration 20 msec, fluence 200 J/cm2) after covering the wart surface with a thin film of a moisturizing cream. The endpoint was lesion graying or whitening with or without development of a hemorrhagic bulla beneath the treated wart. Color photographs were taken before and immediately after each laser session and at 1, 4, and 16 weeks after the last session. RESULTS: The overall clearance rate was 97%, with 90% of treated patients cured after one session, 4% after two, and 3% after three. Clearance rate after three laser sessions decreased linearly with the number of warts from 100% to 95%. Less accessible wart location in interdigital spaces also decreased the cure rate after three sessions from 100% to 95%. Additionally, warts became more difficult to eradicate as they aged. Remission lasted up to 6 years, and complications were mild and infrequent (17.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This novel method is effective in removing palmoplantar warts. It is easier, time-saving, and safer than other methods described in previous studies conducted with ablative or nonablative lasers.