How To Remove Warts

Warts can spread which is why it is important to get rid of them as soon as you notice them. In the case of genital warts, a gentle and safe yet effective method is recommended to avoid burning and scarring. One can take advantage of any of several treatments available for getting rid of warts that appear on the body parts such as the face, arms, hands and legs. Some of these treatments are mentioned below.

The cause for warts is a virus. As such, over-the-counter local application medications are in no way effective for the safe removal of warts. Products such as hydrogen peroxide, Bactine, alcohol, hydrocortisone or mercurochrome would just lessen the inflammation and itching around the wart area. There are over-the-counter medications specifically sold for wart removal. Concentrated salicylic acid is one of the active ingredients of these medications and is introduced in drops, on the affected region. Though it works gradually and causes only little skin damage, one disadvantage is the treatment duration. Salicylic acid must be applied several times for a number of days or weeks.

Cryogenic wart treatment has grown popular in recent times. In this method, the dermatologists would use cryogenics (freezing the wart and its surrounding region chemically) to remove the wart. Following a treatment or two, the warts would drop just like lifeless skin tissue. Consumers can purchase versions of the freezing agent which dont require a prescription, to get rid of the nuisance themselves.

Warts may be removed at home with the help of an aerosol can to transfer the freezing chemicals straight to the elevated region. The resulting freezing of the warts would cause them to ultimately fall off. However, be prepared to pay US$20 or even more for one application. The price would vary with brand name and ingredient quality.

Though a lot of folk remedies for wart removal have failed in terms of effectiveness, one homemade treatment seems promising duct tape. It seems that patients who filed off the dead skin layers and plastered the bare areas with duct tape demonstrated good improvement. It would take some time to get results with this method, usually a few weeks. Nevertheless, this kind of bandage lessens the time required for natural removal of warts.

If your trial of all the above medications has ended as a failure, you might have to consult your dermatologist. He/she would probably use cauterization (burning with lasers or heat), cryogenic freezing, or prescription-level acids to remove the warts. Treatment using commercial acids, razor blades or hot needles should not be practiced at home owing to the potential danger involved.

A lot of people try to get rid of the warts by using creams that burn the warts, or by just cutting the warts themselves. Methods like freezing, burning or cutting are not advisable as they would usually cause redevelopment of the warts after a period of time.