Warts are common virus-induced lesions that are troublesome to treat, especially in children. Recently, some trials have suggested that the pulsed dye laser may also be useful for the treatment of warts.

To determine the effectiveness and safety of 585nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser treatment of warts.

Fifty patients representing a total of 265 warts were recruited for the study. Patients were treated using the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser with a pulse duration of 450 sec, a spot size of 5mm, and energy fluence ranging between 7 to 9 J/cm². Patients in whom no visible evidence of warts remained before 5 treatment sessions were classified as 'cured'.

The cure rates were 89% for hand warts, 21% for plantar warts, 58% for periungual or subungual warts, 98% for limb warts and 100% for facial warts. Significant difference in the clearance rate of warts was found according to the maximum diameter of warts (≤0.3cm, >0.3cm) (<0.05).

The 585nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser had potential effectiveness for the treatment of small warts on the hands, face, and limbs, but it is less effective for plan-tar warts, or larger warts.