Which Treatments Work Best For Wart Removal?

Written by

With the right treatment you should be able to remove your wart infection in a matter of weeks, even if your warts have been with you for years.  But you do have to commit to repeated treatments in order to be successful.

Some key points about wart removal you should know

  • For warts located on the hands and feet there are a number of highly effective treatments that you can use at home.
  • The best wart removal products will not cause scarring and you’ll only have minimal irritation, if at all.
  • To ensure a quick cure, be prepared to apply the treatment on a daily basis.
  • For genital warts or oral warts we strongly advise you to book an appointment with your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and treatment recommendations specific to your condition.

Home treatment options include:

Topical treatment using salicylic acids, essential oils or a combination of ingredients.    Several studies have confirmed that topical treatment with salicylic acid is one of the most effective and safe ways to treat plantar and common warts.

Tape occlusion is often referred to as the duct tape method, increases the rate of wart clearange.  The tape is used to cover the wart for a period of time and is often used successfibly in combination with topical treatment.

Non-prescription cryotherapy using freon refrigerants are now available over the counter.  Although less powerful than procedures performed in the doctors office (see prescription cryotherapy below), they involve freezing the wart for a few seconds.
Read more »

Categories: Wart Removal

What Are Warts (Facts Everyone Ought To Know)

Written by

Warts are a benign growth caused by viruses in the human papilloma virus (HPV) family. They are a common dermatological problem affecting an estimated 3% of the general population. Warts can grow on all parts of the body but are most commonly found on the hands, feet, mouth, face, genitals and rectal area. Some people are more susceptible to HPV virus while others do not develop warts despite coming into contact with the virus.

The HPV virus infects the top layer of skin (the epidermis) causing it to grow rapidly, forming a wart. The virus does not generally affect the dermis (the second layer of skin). Warts can clear up spontaneously but it can take several years. It is not known why some warts appear more resistant to our immune system than others.

What are the different types of wart?

Warts come in many shapes and sizes. All form some sort of elevated area of skin with a well-defined border. Some have a flat surface while others are more rounded. There are also texture differences with some being smooth while others developing a roughened characteristic. Read more »

Categories: Types of Wart

What Causes Warts And Are They Contaigious?

Written by

Warts are spread by directly from person to person or indirectly by contact with an infected surface or object.  Genital warts can be transferred during unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person.  The HPV virus that causes warts can live on skin without causing infection, but at this stage it still can be passed to another person.

If the HPV virus is able to enter the body – for example via a small scratch in the skin – it can infect the skin cells beneath the surface causing they to grow rapidly to form a wart.  It can take several months before wart is visible.

For reasons that are still unclear, some individuals are more resistant to infection than others and do not develop a wart even after coming into contact with the HPV virus.  In addition, warts are less common in older people (probably as a result of increased immunity to the virus developed over time). Read more »

Categories: Wart Causes

A Step By Step Guide To Topical Wart Treatment (Personal Reflections Included)

Written by

In 2010 I had a wart outbreak. And I do mean an outbreak. I had 6 common warts on my hands, one periungal wart near the tip of my thumbnail, and eight large, stubborn plantar warts on my feet. Although the warts on my feet had been there for years the warts on my hands were new… and incredibly embarrassing. They were the final straw that finally got me started on a dedicated treatment routine.

I used Wartrol and it worked great. Six weeks later I was completely wart free. But I must emphasize that the key to my success was sticking to a repeated, daily application routine. I think this counts for more than the actual product that you end up using. (Having said that make sure you choose a top products)

So this is what I did every night for four weeks: Read more »

Categories: Wart Treatment

Hand Warts: How To Get Rid Of Warts On Hands

Written by

Like all warts, warts on hands are the result of infection by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The virus infects the top layer of skin (the epidermis) causing it to grow rapidly. The result is an elevated bump with a defined border and rough surface. Most hand warts are either common warts (verruca vulgaris) or flat warts (verruca plana). See all types of wart.

When I had hand warts, I found that they multiplied rather alarmingly. I started with one wart on my thumb and before I knew it a cluster of 5 had developed. I think they spread so fast as I had a habit of scratching and picking at them. Big mistake! All I was doing was spreading the infection to other parts of my hands (known in medical terms as auto-inoculation). Some of the warts had tiny black dots on them from clotted blood vessels (a characteristic that is more commonly seen in plantar warts on the foot).

For a while I thought they would disappear on their own. And they may well have done so, but the thought of having to wait a year or more was too much for me. I was already embarrassed and remember having to hold my glass in a rather ungainly grip whenever I was in public in order to try and hide the warts from view. They really did look quite horrible.

I discussed my condition with a doctor who told me that I should first try and get rid of the warts at home, using a topical treatment containing salicylic acid. He said that if that didn’t work, I could return for cryotherapy where he would freeze my warts using liquid nitrogen. As a last resort there were surgical procedures available as well as injections of antiviral drugs.

So really for me it was a no brainer. On all criteria it made sense for me to follow the advice I was given and start a topical treatment at home.

Here was my thought process and the 5 critiera I used in deciding how to treat my hand warts:


Criteria 1: Treatment Effectiveness – Studies indicate that home treatment is as effective as treatment by a doctor. (There are of course exceptions for example if you have a history of recurrent warts, have diabetes or other major illnesses you should treat your warts under closer medical supervision. I didn’t).
Criteria 2: Cost – Home treatment is cheaper.
Criteria 3: Potential for scarring – This was a concern of mine as I knew that scarring could be permanent. Salicylic acid is a kerotoylic – it destroys the skin that is infected with HPV but doesn’t discriminate. It does not kill the virus directly but removes the infected skin tissue that forms the wart. So if it comes into contact with healthy skin it will also destroy this. So when choosing my product, I chose carefully. I sought out products that combined the salicylic acid with homeopathic remedies and natural essential oils that would promote healthy skin.
Criteria 4. Potential for pain – Cryotherapy is more painful than topical treatment, so it made sense to only use it as a fall back.
Criteria 5: Treatment time – Topical treatment does take time but cyrotherapy and other prescription approaches are also not immediate cures. The only quick fix is surgery, but that can result in scarring and I thought it was overly invasive for my condition. Cryotherapy for example requires repeated visits over several weeks. I found a daily application to be less inconvenient than all those doctor visits.

Ok so topical treatment made great sense for me for a first line of treatment. I was careful in how I applied the medication – here are the steps that I followed – and I am pleased to say that I am now 100% wart free.

Categories: Get Rid Of Warts

How To Get Rid Of Warts (And Three Resons Why You Should)

Written by

There are many different ways to get rid of warts, some of which can be carried out in the privacy of your home. Ultimately your goal is to remove the wart quickly, with minimal scarring.

Before we get started we should point out that one option is to do nothing as some warts will disappear on their own without treatment. But before you decide to do nothing bear in mind the following thee points:

  1. It can take many months, even years to get rid of warts.  Most sufferers (myself included) don’t want to wait that long especially especially if the warts are causing embarrassment or pain.
  2. Treatment reduces the risk that the warts will spread to other parts of the body (including places such as the mouth and genital area where they are very hard to treat).
  3. There is a real public health consideration as warts can easily spread to other people.

How to get rid of your warts at home

For warts that appear on your hands, feet, arms and legs a home treatment is often just as effective as treatment by a doctor.  It’s also typically far less expensive. Read more »

Categories: Get Rid Of Warts