Home Cures for Warts

Unsightly warts. Most of us get at least one in our lifetime and we want to get rid of them, and fast. This skin growth, although harmless, steals our confidence depending on where the wart is located. Some of the warts are out of sight and do not bother us as much as the ones that are on our hands, knees and elbows.

A wart growth on the skin is caused by a virus, the human papillomavirus or HPV, which totals more than 100 different types of viruses. When this virus attacks it buries into the epidermis, also known as the very top layer or our skin. Any area of broken skin is subject to this little germ getting in. When it buries under the skin growth at a greater speed.

This will then turn into a wart. Sometimes, approximately 40 to 50 per cent of the time, they disappear on its own anywhere from a month to several years. Warts are best known for their pale-colored exteriors. Everyone can develop a wart, but they mostly affect children and young adults. Warts have been known to spread and multiply. If you see this happening they need to be treated as soon as possible to avoid growth over a large area.

Depending on the virus which caused the wart, how the instructions are followed and a variety of other factors the following home cures may be just what you are looking for. If you have a wart on your face or neck, or another area in which a scar would cause you to be embarrassed start with an appointment with your dermatologist who can work with you to reduce scar formation around the wart area.

1. Try an over-the-counter salicylic acid product. This acid will attempt to dissolve the wart by first making it a little softer. A word of caution here. If you have diabetes or decreased circulation you should not apply this to your skin.

2. A very popular home cure for warts is duct tape. Medical tape will also suffice if there is no duct tape around. You wrap the tape around the wart and do not disturb it. Leave it there for weeks, three to be precise. The only reason that this tape should be taken off is to change it. Apply plain castor oil to the wart before applying the tape is optional.

3. Salicylic acid plaster pads can be applied only to the wart itself and avoid any areas of good skin around the wart. This pad should be reapplied to the wart only every 4 to 5 days and the good skin around the edges should have Vaseline applied to it to protect the skin.

4. Over-the-counter freeze off products allow you to use a cold therapy at home for a small area. These essentially burn the wart using silver nitrate chemical. It is relatively painless but will burn any skin it touches, so be sure to apply only to the wart.

If you fail to successfully remove the wart at home, call your primary care physician who can use several other methods in their office. If this is not successful it is time to make an appointment with a dermatologist.