Wart Removal

What Causes Warts

Warts are caused by a virus called Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The virus causes skin to grow faster than usual, forming a bump.

HPV is contagious. You can get it from other people or from locker room and shower floors. However, touching someone with warts does not mean you will definitely catch the virus. It depends on the particular strain of HPV and on the strength of your immune system. Breaks or cuts in the skin may make infection more likely.

You've cannot contract warts from touching frogs or toads. That's just a myth.

Recognizing Warts

Warts are usually small, painless, flesh-colored bumps with a rough surface. They can be flat or raised. They can vary in size, ranging from tiny, indistinguishable marks to large, visible knobs. They may grow alone or in clusters. Little black dots within warts are common. These are tiny blood vessels which have clotted off. Any part of the body may be affected by warts.

Warts on the bottom of the foot, called plantar's warts, look a little different. They tend to grow inward because of the pressure of walking. One way to recognize a plantar's wart is to look for a disruption in the fingerprint-like pattern on the bottom of the foot.

Untreated Warts

Left alone, most warts will eventually go away. It takes six months to two years for the body to fight off the virus. If a wart isn't causing any problems, it may be easiest not to treat it at all. If, on the other hand, it's in a noticeable place or interferes with activity, wart removal is an option.

Home Remedies

People have come up with a lot of home remedies for warts. One that might actually work is duct tape. You can find details about this treatment at the web site of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. The idea is to cut a piece of duct tape to cover the wart and surrounding skin. Leave the duct tape in place for six and a half days at a time, letting the skin breathe for a half day each week. Stop the treatment if skin appears irritated.

The duct tape method of wart removal may work because it cuts off oxygen to the wart virus, or because it changes the temperature of that area of skin.

Some people get good results using tea tree oil for wart removal. You can find this at health food stores, or you can purchase it online. Apply the tea tree oil to the wart once or twice a day. It may take several weeks to work. Again, stop if your skin becomes reddened or irritated; some people are allergic to tea tree oil.

Drugstore Options

The drugstore aisle offers several options for wart removal, including:

• Salicylic acid. This method takes as long as twelve weeks to work. It's available as a liquid or a gel, or in small adhesive pads that stay on the skin. You'll need to paint the liquid on twice a day, being careful not to get it on the surrounding skin. Gels have similar instructions, but are designed not to drip onto skin. The adhesive pads are simpler: you just stick one on over the wart. They can remain in place for 48 hours at a time.

• Freezing treatments. These come with applicators that contain a special blend of chemicals. Once activated, the applicators become cold enough to freeze the skin. You apply the tip of the applicator directly to the wart and hold it in place for a brief time. The wart should fall off or peel away over the next several days. According to the manufacturers, many warts will require just one treatment. Although instructions vary by company, some warts require up to four treatments.

Be sure to follow the package instructions for any drugstore wart removal treatment.

Wart Removal at the Doctor's Office

If the drugstore treatments don't work, it's time for a doctor visit. Some people, especially those with circulation problems, should skip the drugstore and home remedies and consult a doctor first. Warts that appear on the genitals or on mucous membranes such as the inside of the lip should be treated only by a doctor. So should warts on infants and very young children. In addition, if you have any concern that your skin condition is not a wart (for example, if you're worried about skin cancer), check with the doctor before trying to treat it yourself.

Your doctor will probably try one of these things:

• Freezing. Your doctor may use liquid nitrogen or a substance similar to over-the-counter freezing treatments.
• Acid. Your doctor may use a strong acid or other medication to cause the skin to blister, lifting away the wart so it will fall of or can be easily removed.

Other treatments for stubborn warts include cutting them away with a scalpel, laser removal, burning with a special electrical device, injections to disrupt or kill the virus, and medicines to boost the immune system. These are usually reserved for warts that don’t go away with other treatments.