Warts, Skin Tags and Cysts: Treatment in Dubai
Three common, harmless things people want gone. Warts are a viral infection of the skin and can spread and persist; skin tags are soft flaps of skin in the folds that are purely cosmetic; cysts are sacs under the skin that can grow or become infected. At Smart Care Polyclinic in Deira, a specialist dermatologist confirms what it is and removes or treats it by the method that suits the lesion and the site.
For: warts and verrucas, skin tags, sebaceous and other cysts
Takes: consultation, then treatment at the same or a later visit
Price: consultation AED 125 · treatment quoted
What it is
Warts are caused by human papillomavirus in the skin. They are common in children, spread by touch and on wet floors, and most go on their own within two years, which is why not treating a wart is a legitimate choice. Treatment is for warts that hurt, spread, or bother you. The evidence is clearer than the folklore: a Cochrane review of 85 trials and 8,815 people found salicylic acid preparations increased clearance compared with placebo (risk ratio 1.56), that freezing was not clearly better than placebo overall, and that more aggressive freezing worked better than gentle, with hand warts responding better than foot warts to both.1
Skin tags are soft, skin-coloured flaps on the neck, armpits, eyelids and groin, commoner with age, weight and friction. They are harmless and are removed for comfort or appearance by snipping, freezing or cautery in a few minutes.
Cysts are closed sacs under the skin filled with keratin or oil, usually on the face, neck, back or scalp, and often with a small central pore. They are harmless but can enlarge, rupture or become infected and painful. An infected cyst is settled first with antibiotics or drainage; a quiet cyst is removed whole with its sac under local anaesthetic so it does not come back.
How warts are treated here
Usually with a combination: a salicylic acid preparation used daily at home, paring of the hard skin, and cryotherapy at the clinic every two to four weeks. Several sessions are normal. Verrucas on the sole are the slowest, because the wart is pushed inward by walking. Stubborn warts have other options, which the dermatologist can discuss.
When a lump is not a cyst
A lump that is hard, fixed, growing fast, or has changed is examined rather than assumed. Lipomas are soft fatty lumps that are harmless; other lumps are rarer and are the reason a dermatologist looks first. Anything removed is sent for histology.
The consultation, and what follows from it
Dermatology consultation
Assessment, examination and a plan with every cost stated before anything further is done.
AED 125
Book
Questions patients ask
Yes, by direct contact and via wet floors and shared towels. Cover a wart when swimming, do not pick it, and do not share nail files or razors.
It stings for a few seconds and the area can be sore for a day or two, sometimes with a blister. Children tolerate it less well, so for younger children the dermatologist often starts with home treatment.
Rarely, if the whole sac is removed. Cysts that are only drained or squeezed usually refill, which is why removal rather than drainage is the definitive treatment.
This guide is general information about a condition, not a diagnosis. Skin conditions overlap, and what looks like one thing is often another; the dermatologist's examination is what decides your treatment.
References
- Kwok CS, Gibbs S, Bennett C, et al.. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2012;2012(9):CD001781. PMID 22972052. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001781.pub385 trials, 8,815 participants: salicylic acid increased wart clearance over placebo (RR 1.56), cryotherapy was not clearly better than placebo overall, aggressive cryotherapy beat gentle, and hand warts responded better than foot warts.
Sources are listed for the specific statements they support. They are published research and guidance, not a substitute for a consultation — what applies to you is decided by a doctor who has assessed you.