If you have a healthy immune system, the warts should eventually go away on their own, but this can take anywhere from 1-3 years.
Because these products are widely available over-the-counter, they’re a good first-line treatment for warts. They help irritate the skin, which can trigger your body’s immune response to the wart. Soak the skin in water for 5 minutes or longer, apply the acid liberally using the brush and let it dry. Leave it for a day. You can either peel or file it off and then file remaining dead skin. Do this every two or three days.
Cantharidin is also known as ‘beetle juice. ’ The doctor applies cantharidin directly on the wart, then applies a bandage. The next day, the bandage is taken off and the dead skin is removed. If it doesn’t work in one treatment, you may need another method—your doctor will make appropriate recommendations. Use caution when you’re choosing this method—it could seed the wart into a blister, causing it to become enlarged.
Cryotherapy works by damaging the cells of the wart, which can help your body generate immunity to the wart. Alternately, many drug stores carry OTC freeze treatments to zap the wart. [7] X Expert Source Heather Richmond, MDBoard Certified Dermatologist Expert Interview. 15 September 2020. If using an OTC wart freeze treatment, keep the following tips in mind: Follow the direction on the wart removal package. Your skin should turn from white to red in a matter of minutes, and a blister should begin to form underneath the wart. Small black dots should appear beneath the wart after a few days. This is a sign that the treatment is working. Resist the urge to pull the wart off. The wart should fall off on its own. If it doesn’t, treat again after two weeks. Do not treat a wart that has been unsuccessfully treated three times; see a doctor.
See your doctor. They can use a laser to burn the wart away. This is sometimes effective, but best recommended after other methods have failed. Try it at home. Light a match, blow it out, and while the match head is still hot, touch it to the wart. This causes blistering that initiates a healing response. Peel the layer of infected skin off, and cover with aloe and a strip bandage. Repeat as necessary. Try this at your own risk. Very dangerous.
Electrosurgery and curettage. This is where the doctor burns the wart with an electrical current and cuts it out afterward. The wart may still return because the blood vessels are still intact. [8] X Research source [9] X Research source Laser surgery. This is where the doctor burns the wart with an intense beam of light. [9] X Research source
Dab the wart and surrounding area with alcoholic extract of golden seal. This will stimulate local immune activity. Take a sharp needle or pin and dip it into the curcumin paste. Press the needle as deep into the wart as possible. Continue injecting more of the paste into the wart, poking several holes if necessary. Spread the remaining paste over the wart area and cover with medical tape. This technique is effective against flat warts, which are found on the face and hands. Flat warts are notoriously stubborn and will often remain on the skin after the body has acquired resistance to the virus. This will finish the warts off in lieu of freezing.
Put a band-aid or tape over the wart to hold the salt in place and observe for several days, replacing it after you shower or if it falls off.
It’s also possible to spread the HPV virus to others through cuts, open sores, or sexual activities.
Common warts. These can appear anywhere on the body. Most often they are seen on the hands. They are rough in appearance, rounded, and are grayish-brown. Flat warts. These are usually found on the face, legs, and arms. They are small, flat (as the name implies), and can be spread by shaving. Plantar warts. These grow on the soles of your feet, and look like thick patches of skin with dark speckles. They can be extremely painful. Genital warts. These are found on and around the genital region, between the thighs, and can also appear in the vagina and anus. Subungual and periungual warts. These appear under fingernails and toenails. They are rough bumps with an uneven surface. Filiform warts. These generally appear around the mouth and nose. They are skin-colored, and have thready growths sticking out of them.
