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Expert Q&A
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| By Michael F. Wasserman General Pediatrician | ||
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My daughter has a few warts on the back of her knee. My doctor told me just to wait it out, that they should go away on their own. It's been a few months now, and they're still there. When should we consider having them removed? Why are doctors reluctant to do so? What causes a wart?
Warts are a viral infection of the skin, with a very low grade, non-aggressive virus. Left alone long enough, even several years, the wart will likely go away. Are the child and parent patient enough? Are there psychological (such as teasing or self-image) problems? Will your child leave them alone and still be happy. If not, seek medical attention.
Some doctors don't like to treat warts because they don't believe that such a minor illness, which if left alone will go away, is worth the possible side effect of the treatment. Doctors are always balancing the benefits versus the risk of any type of treatment plan.
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