When directly contacting lesion sites, contact precautions should be taken. Testing gloves and masks used to protect healthcare workers from HPV infection during wart surgery found that out of 120 samples, 1/5 of surgical doctor gloves, 3/5 of surgical nurse gloves, and 18 surgical masks had no HPV contamination. None of the healthcare workers' oral mucosa or skin samples tested positive. Thus, proper use and disposal of surgical gloves and masks can prevent HPV DNA transmission from contact with lesion sites.
However, a new safety concern arising from laser treatment of HPV lesions is the presence of virus particles in laser plumes. HPV particles have a diameter of 55nm, and no mask can prevent viral contamination, including N95 masks, which can filter particles as small as 300 nanometers. Therefore, timely removal of surgical plumes from the operating field is the best strategy. Specifically, placing medium to high suction smoke evacuators within 2 inches (5.08cm) of the surgical site can effectively remove viral particles from the surgical field.
