Skin disorders can create insecurities that can easily make a person feel less confident about their appearance. One of the most well-known skin disorders is acne, which appears mainly at puberty and often continues throughout adulthood. One of the common skin problems people confuse with acne is verruca plana, also known as “flat wart.”

A flat wart is an infection caused by HPV (human papillomavirus) that can appear anywhere in the body as a brown or skin-colored bump. Its appearance can resemble acne, liver spots, and skin tag due to its shape and color. However, unlike acne, people should never pop flat warts like they pop pimples. Flat warts can spread everywhere in the human body, and touching other parts of the body after popping the flat wart can infect different areas of the body, which could result in hundreds of flat warts. It is best to take care of flat warts when there are only a few of them since when it becomes too many, there is a higher risk of flat warts recurring. 

Unfortunately, we cannot eliminate the virus itself with modern technology, but there are mainly two ways of getting rid of flat warts that have already appeared. First, the safest but slowest way is putting on ointment that clears out the skin flakes on the spot where there is a flat wart. The second method is to see a dermatologist perform a CO2 laser over the flat wart. CO2 laser burns the outer layer of skin and is often used to eliminate moles. The significant defect of this method is that it could create scars on the body. Therefore, when trying a CO2 laser, make sure to find a highly skilled doctor who can adjust the intensity of the laser well enough to prevent scars.

허유진 강남포스트 학생기자  webmaster@ignnews.kr

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