plane warts since 7-8 years

im a 25 year old girl and im a doctor myself.. i have plane warts on my face since 7-8 years.. i didnt take any treatment earlier except until now when i thought that they were increasing in number.. i applied retino 0.05% 3 days back and the warts became inflammed (red and itchy) after the application.. they also seem to have increased in number.. is it a favourable sign - the inflammation? should i continue using retino? how much time does it usually take to clear off the warts with retino? and does electric cautery of warts leave any scars on the face?
plz reply as soon as possible coz im really worried about my face.. the warts are growing.. :-(

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It looks like the warts have become irritated due to irritant contact dermatitis to the Retino cream. For warts on face, good treatment options are electrical cautery and Carbon dioxide laser treatment. Laser treatment is less likely to cause scarring.

In my opinion you should talk to a cosmetologist/dermatologist about this and get these warts evaluated.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.