Treatment of verruca vulgaris with intralesional bleomycin

From January 1985 to January 1986, a group of patients suffering from verruca vulgaris were treated with intralesional bleomycin in Middle Road Hospital. Each skin lesion was injected with 0.1% solution of bleomycin solution, up to a maximum of three injections per lesion. Patients were reviewed fortnightly for 6 weeks. Out of 35 patients who completed the study, 29 patients (83%) were initially cleared of their warts, and 3 patients had partial clearance. 3 patients had recurrence of lesions on follow-up. An average of 1.5 treatment sessions was required for each patient. Scarring and pigmentary changes at injection sites were minimal. No systemic side effects were observed. This study shows that intralesional bleomycin is a safe and effective method for treating viral warts.