UNC dermatologist says 'exorcise, not excise' when it comes to warts

Humans have long waged a bitter battle against those pesky imperfections known as warts – freezing them, injecting them with yeast and then attempting to cut them out.

But one Chapel Hill doctor has a rather unusual approach — an exorcism.

Dr. Craig Burkhart, a pediatric dermatologist at UNC, said he came across this unique idea in a 1987 Advanced Dermatology Therapy textbook while researching wart-removal methods.

“One article said ‘exorcise do not excise’, and that was where it all started,” he said.

For Burkhart, the practice was a safe and fun method that he knew children would enjoy.

“A lot of the kids were really scared of needles, so this really was a miracle solution,” he joked.

But Burkhart said he does not forego all science.

“I still freeze the wart, inject it with yeast, and put wart cream on it,” he said.

Then the magic comes in.

Burkhart said he wraps the wart in silk tape and asks the patient to describe the wart’s mood, ranging from angry to happy to sad.

Then he draws a face with the appropriate emotion on the tape and instructs his client to remove the bandage at midnight — or just simply at bedtime for his younger patients.

And just for good measure, he gives his patient some sort of foreign coin for luck. He expects this coin back if the wart still reveals itself at the witching hour.

Out of all the clients he has treated, Burkhart said he has never gotten the coin back — a problem he is fine with having.

“Maybe its hypnosis therapy, I don’t know,” he said. “All I care is that it’s working.”

Though he has mostly treated children in the past, his success may be opening the door for consideration by the community at large.

Patricia Fernandez, a third-year student in the UNC School of Law, said she would absolutely consider seeing Burkhart if she develops another mole on her hand in the future.

“It’s a very interesting approach,” she said. “If it’s working for other people, why not try it? It’s worth a shot.”

That kind of open-minded attitude is what keeps Burkhart’s practice in business.

“At the end of the day, it’s a variation on a medical procedure,” he said. “A lot of people have responded realty well to it and I’m really proud of that.”