Meet Our Medical Director
Dr. Mercedes E. Gonzalez is a board-certified pediatric dermatologist. After graduating from Emory University, she earned her degree at Rutgers–New Jersey Medical School in 2004. Always drawn to working with children, she accepted the prestigious pediatrics program at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York–Columbia University where she solidified her interest in treating skin disorders. She then completed a dermatology residency followed by a clinical fellowship in pediatric dermatology at the top-ranked New York University (NYU) Department of Dermatology.
Her gentle, child-friendly bedside manner, combined with her broad knowledge of childhood skin diseases and their treatments, make her the preferred pediatric dermatologist in Miami. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Gonzalez currently serves as a clinical assistant professor at The FIU Herbert Wertheim School of Medicine and The Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology at Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Gonzalez serves as the Principal Investigator on numerous clinical trials and has a special interest in severe skin disease in children. She lectures regularly at Dermatology conferences and to medical students and residents and is the co-editor of 3 dermatology textbooks, including the recently published 2nd edition of Goodheart’s Same Site Differential Diagnosis, and has published over 50 journal articles.
Reasearch Human Papillomavirus
Skin Growths Caused
By Human Papillomavirus
- Due to infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Common locations for these include hands, feet, and areas frequently touching various surfaces daily.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Signs of Warts
Skin Growths
Flesh-Colored or Grayish
Pain or Discomfort
Spreading
What is the cause?
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection
- Direct Contact
- Weakened Immune System
- Skin Trauma
- Warm and Moist Environments
Warts result from an infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus found in the environment and on the skin of others. Various HPV strains infect the top layer of skin cells, prompting abnormal growths. They often start as a single wart but can spread, especially in areas frequently contacting different surfaces, such as hands and feet.
Warts: Current treatments
Active Nonintervention
Many – OTC Salicylic acid based modalities
Standard In-office treatments:
- Cryotherapy
- Physical removal
Immunotherapies (Candida, PPD, HPV, MMR)
- Intralesional (IL)
- Topical (Imiquimod)
- Systemic (HPV vaccine)
Chemotherapies (Bleomycin, 5-FU,MTX)
- Intralesional
- Topical
Canada Antigen for Wart Treatment
Candida antigen has been utilized for many years in wart treatment. When effective, it demonstrates remarkable efficacy, similar to bleomycin. Administered intralesionally, this involves injecting a small amount of Candida antigen, a protein component of yeast, directly into the wart. This triggers the body’s immune system to target and combat the viral-infected cells of the wart from within.
“Children are our most valuable resource.”
“Children are our most valuable resource.”
– Herbert Hoover
