Published by Dr Hasaneen
Published date 27.08.26
A wart is not just a growth of skin, it is a viral infection living within it.
That single fact explains almost everything about how CryoPen treats warts and verrucas differently to skin tags or milia, and why more than one session is often part of a normal treatment plan, not a sign anything has gone wrong.
A wart is a small, raised, rough-textured growth caused by HPV, typically found on the hands, fingers, or face.
A verruca is the same viral infection, but specifically on the sole of the foot, where the pressure of standing and walking flattens it inward rather than letting it raise up, giving it a harder, flatter appearance often with a small black dot at the centre.
Same virus, different location, different presentation. This is why the two are treated with the same technology but respond somewhat differently, addressed below.
The cause: HPV infects the top layer of skin and can incubate for weeks or months before any lesion is even visible.
What CryoPen does: it destroys the visible wart or verruca tissue and damages the virus-infected cells at the same time.
Why it sometimes takes more than once: the virus can sit slightly deeper, or extend microscopically beyond the visible edge. This is true of every wart removal method, not something specific to CryoPen.
The key takeaway: if any tissue remains once the area has fully healed, a follow-up session is simply the next planned step. Most treatment plans build this in from the start, with a review booked once the skin has healed, specifically to check progress.
Published data gives a useful benchmark: one commonly cited study found an average of just over one session for common warts, with a success rate around 75%. More established or resistant lesions naturally need more, and verrucas in particular often take longer to clear than hand warts, given the constant pressure on the foot.
Session spacing matters too. Treatments are typically spaced 2 to 4 weeks apart, giving the area time to heal before assessing whether more treatment is needed. Treating too soon does not speed up clearance, it simply adds freezing to skin that is still healing.
Warts: a hand or finger wart typically flattens and clears within a couple of weeks of its final treatment, leaving smooth, unmarked skin behind.
Verrucas: a plantar verruca clears more gradually, the hard central core lifting away with the scab, revealing normal skin beneath once fully healed.
Every CryoPen treatment is performed personally by Dr Hasaneen Al-Janabi, a GMC-registered doctor and Member of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Each wart or verruca is properly assessed before treatment, and if more than one session is likely, you will be told upfront, not left to discover it partway through.
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