How to Get Rid of Warts (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Warts: Even the name is unpleasant! In addition to being unpleasant to look at, they are difficult to treat and their cure is not definitive. If you are afflicted with a common wart on your hand, face, foot or any other part of your body, this article will provide you with the basic information to get rid of it.

Steps

Part 1 of 5: Clinically Verified Remedies

Step 1. Be patient

Warts are caused by HPV (human papilloma virus) and therefore can take some time to get rid of. Many disappear on their own, even without treatment. However, this can mean having to wait two weeks - or even two years. Whichever method you choose, give it time to take action.

Step 2. Use salicylic acid

This ingredient is the basis of almost all creams suitable for this purpose. Leave the affected area wet for at least 5 minutes, apply the acid with a brush and let it dry, without touching it for a day. After that you can remove it as if it were dead skin. Repeat every 2-3 days.

Step 3. Use electrical tape

Many studies have tried to prove the effectiveness of electrical tape in treating warts. It seems that the duct tape, in addition to concentrating the drug on the area of the wart, helps to "suffocate" it. One study shows that a bandage with duct tape immediately after applying Imiquimod 5% is effective against common warts.

Step 4. Apply cantharidin

It is a chemical agent that gives fast results because it burns the wart. It may be slightly painful, but in a day you will get rid of it. Ask your doctor.

The doctor applies cantharidin directly to the wart, which is then covered with a bandage. The next day, after removing the bandage, the dead skin is removed. If that doesn't work, you'll need another remedy and your doctor will know what to recommend

Step 5. Try liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy) to freeze the wart

Again, you will need to see a doctor. It may be annoying and you need to undergo various treatments to remove the wart, but it is a very effective method.

• You can also get what you need for this treatment at the pharmacy, but remember the following points:

  • Follow the instructions. Your skin turns red within minutes and a blister should form under the wart.
  • After a few days, black dots should appear under the wart: this is a sign that the treatment is working. Resist the temptation to take it off.
  • The wart should fall off on its own. If it doesn't, try again after two weeks. Do not treat her further if she has not successfully responded to three treatments; in this case, go to a doctor.

  

  Step 6. Burn the wart if the above methods don't work

  It is a little painful and a scar may form. You may want to see a doctor, even if it's possible to try at home.

  • Go to the doctor. He can use a laser to burn the wart. This is a very effective method, but it only applies if all other techniques have previously failed.
  • If you try this at home, light a match, put it out and when the tip is still hot, place it on the wart. A blister will form and start healing. Remove the infected layer of skin and cover the area with aloe vera and a band-aid. Repeat as needed.

  

  Step 7. Have it removed by your doctor

  If in doubt, see your doctor for a surgical removal of the wart. Such an operation must be performed by a professional to avoid infections and to give you local anesthesia. The doctor can perform the removal in these ways:

  • Electrosurgery and curettage.

    The wart is burned with an electrical discharge and then cut.

  • Laser surgery. The wart is burned with an intense beam of light.

  

  Step 8. Immunotherapy involves the body using its defenses to attack the wart

  Ask your doctor for more information.

  

  Step 9. Ask your doctor about Veregen, a new drug used to treat warts, especially genital warts

  

  Step 10. Use Imiquimod, a topical cream that treats certain types of warts and skin cancer by stimulating an immune response

  In combination with other treatments, it can be helpful. Ask your doctor for advice.

  Part 2 of 5: Unverified Home Remedies

  

  Step 1. Stimulates antibodies

  Put ice on the wart, sterilize a needle and prick it several times, trying to penetrate every layer of skin inside it. By introducing the virus into your bloodstream, you will help the body locate the wart and fight against it, making it disappear. This method is very effective for some people, especially those who have several warts, since if the body "discovers" one, it will eliminate the others as well.

  

  Step 2. Chop a vitamin C tablet and add water to make a thick paste

  Apply it to the wart and cover it with a bandage.

  

  Step 3. Break a vitamin E capsule, spread it on the wart and cover it with a band-aid

  Take it off overnight to let it breathe, then repeat the operation in the morning. Repeat 3 times a day.

  

  Step 4. Use hot water and pumice stone

  Wet the wart with warm water to soften it. Exfoliate with the pumice stone until you reach the skin. Dip a cotton ball in the bleach and press it against the wart for 15 minutes (it may burn a little). You will need to wash the area after applying the bleach.

  

  Step 5. Apply tea tree essential oil and cover it with a patch

  Repeat for a maximum of 3 weeks.

  

  Step 6. Try castor oil on its own, the acid of which irritates the wart

  It works best on small, flat ones on the face and back of the hand. Apply it with a cotton swab twice a day.

  

  Step 7. Chop a couple of aspirins

  Add some water and apply the paste to the affected areas. Put on a patch and let the mixture sit overnight. Aspirin contains salicylic acid, but is much cheaper than commercially sold lotions.

  

  Step 8. Try Betadine

  Apply it to the wart, cover it with a bandage and leave it on for a couple of days, then repeat.

  

  Step 9. Put some toothpaste on the wart and cover it with a plaster

  Leave it for a day and repeat until you have eliminated it.

  Part 3 of 5: Unverified Food Remedies

  

  Step 1. Do a citrus peel

  Cut a piece of lemon or lime peel slightly larger than the wart and secure it with a plaster or tape. Apply one peel a day and keep the wart covered for as long as possible. After about a week it will disappear completely.

  

  Step 2. Use chopped basil

  Apply it to the wart and fix it with a water-resistant plaster. Do this once a day for a week to get rid of it. The antiviral component of the basil leaves will kill the virus.

  

  Step 3. Take garlic capsules twice a day for several weeks

  The wart should start to come off after a week or two, but you keep taking it until it's gone. You can also cover it with garlic once or twice a day for a month.

  

  Step 4. Eat foods that strengthen the immune system

  Some examples are garlic, sweet potatoes, whole grains, sunflower seeds, and rice.

  

  Step 5. Cut the carrots

  Chop some carrots and make a paste by adding olive oil. Apply it on the wart twice a day for 30 minutes. Do this for 2-3 weeks.

  

  Step 6. Try the fig

  Make a fig-based dough. Squeeze one and put it on the wart for 30 minutes. Do this twice a day for 2-3 weeks.

  

  Step 7. Use lemon juice

  Squeeze some lemon juice onto the wart and cover it with a slice of fresh onion. Leave it for 30 minutes. Repeat once a day for 2-3 weeks.

  

  Step 8. Pineapple juice

  Sprinkle some on the wart - it has a dissolving enzyme.

  

  Step 9. Rub the wart once a day with the inside of a banana peel

  Potassium can accelerate the disappearance of the wart.

  

  Step 10. Cover the wart with banana peel

  Cut a small piece of peel slightly smaller than the size of the duct tape you will be using. Rub the inside of the peel on the wart and then tape it down. Keep the bandage on for a day before removing it. Repeat the process until the wart is completely removed.

  

  Step 11. Use curcumin, a turmeric extract available at health food stores

  Mix it with papaya extract (papain, available in pill form, which you can macerate) and vitamin E oil.

  • Dab the wart and surrounding area with Hydrastis canadensis mother tincture to stimulate local immunological activity.
  • Take a sharp needle and dip it into the curcumin dough. Push it as deeply into the wart as possible. Inject it several times, puncturing more parts of the wart as needed.
  • Smear the remaining paste on the area and cover with medical tape. This technique is effective against flat warts, usually located on the face and hands and notoriously stubborn: they often remain on the skin even after the body has learned to resist the virus. This technique kills the wart, so it doesn't have to be frozen.

  

  Step 12. Use apple cider vinegar

  Take a cotton ball and dip it in the vinegar. Secure it with a band-aid and leave it on overnight. Remember that this method can be painful. Change the disk once a day. After a week, the wart will begin to flake off. Let the area heal after the treatment is finished.

  Part 4 of 5: More Delicate Techniques

  

  Step 1. Use warm water and sea salt

  Wet the wart for 10-15 minutes with warm water. Remove the layers of dead skin with a nail file or pumice stone. You can also use your fingers, but wash them thoroughly before and after, so as not to infect other areas. Wet the wart and apply sea salt. Put on a patch and change it when you shower or if it falls.

  

  Step 2. Baking soda

  Mix the baking soda with the castor oil. Apply the paste to the wart and cover it with a bandage. Leave it on overnight and remove it the next morning. Repeat as needed.

  

  Step 3. Use hot water

  Soaking plantar warts in hot water can be helpful because the liquid softens them and could kill the virus. Make sure it's not too hot, though, or you could burn yourself (keep it at 60ºC).

  

  Step 4. Try dandelion

  Extract the sap from the dandelion stamen and apply it to the wart. Repeat 3-4 times a day. Exfoliate with the pumice stone to remove layers of dead skin and continue until completely eliminated.

  Part 5 of 5: Causes and Types of Warts

  

  Step 1. Avoid touching them

  Warts are small lumps caused by HPV (human papilloma virus) and are contagious.

  Contagion of this virus can also occur through cuts, open wounds and during sexual activity

  

  Step 2. Recognize the various types of wart

  Warts are not all the same, but they come in different shapes and sizes. They can be flat or oval.

  • Common warts can appear on any part of the body, particularly on the hands. They have a rough, rounded appearance and are greyish-brown in color.
  • Flat warts are usually found on the face, legs, and arms. They are small and can spread when shaving.
  • Plantar warts. They grow under the feet and look like bulges of dark skin. They can be very painful.
  • Genital warts. They can appear between the thighs, on the vagina and on the anus.
  • Subungual and periungual warts can appear under the fingernails and toenails. They have a rough appearance and an uneven surface.
  • Filiform warts generally appear around the mouth and nose. They are growths that are the same color as the skin and that extend in length.

  Advice

  • Some people claim to have eliminated them in a couple of days with aloe vera.
  • Do most treatments before bed so you won't be tempted to touch the wart or remove the patch.
  • Combine various treatments to speed up their disappearance.
  • Cover the wart as much as possible with silver tape and apple cider vinegar. If it works, you will see results in a few days. The wart usually hardens and darkens before disappearing. Its remainder can be eliminated by freezing it with cryotherapy products found in pharmacies.
  • Keep the wart dry: wet wart tend to spread more easily.
  • Avoid swimming or showering barefoot in public pools. Most plantar warts contract this way, so wear sandals, flip flops, or water shoes.
  • Wash the affected area as much as possible.
  • Put a generous amount of salt on the center of the patch after wetting it and place it on the wart. Repeat often, especially after taking a bath or shower.
  • There are salicylic acid patches for effective removal.
  • A visit to your primary care physician can provide you with many solutions: cryogenic therapy, topical trichloroacetic acid and Aldara cream.
  • To prevent HPV from spreading, keep a healthy lifestyle.

  Warnings

  • Dry the wart after washing your hands: Warts are most contagious when wet. This forethought will prevent you from infecting someone else.
  • Do not share socks, shoes, gloves, razors, or towels. The virus can be present even if you don't see it.
  • See your doctor if the problem persists.
  • Cover the wart with gauze or a band-aid.
  • The recurrence of warts is inversely proportional to the resistance of the immune system to the virus.
  • Do not follow these treatments if your skin is irritated, infected, red or with birthmarks. The same goes for warts that have hair underneath, for genital warts, those on the face or those present on the moss of the mouth, nose or anus.
  • The methods of burning and freezing could leave permanent scars or damage on the skin.