How Are Warts Removed? Medicines, Tips To Get Rid of Verrucas

Warts can be treated at home. However, you should know that not all that looks like a ward is a wart. Here are some things to get rid of warts.

How to Remove Warts

You can treat warts at home; here are some things you can do to eliminate those annoying small lumps, according to Life Hacker.

1. Salicylic Acid

This is the main ingredient in aspirin and is the gold standard for wart removal, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. They are not an instant cure, but one review claimed that 73% of warts were resolved within six to 12 weeks using salicylic acid. By comparison, only 48% were resolved in the same timeframe with a placebo.

2. Duct tape

There are mixed opinions about this low-risk, low-tech strategy. According to Harvard Health, the subjects wore duct tape patches over their warts for six days, removed the patch, soaked and filed warts, and left them uncovered overnight. Then, reapply the duct tape in the morning and leave them in place for another six days.

According to studies, duct tape was 45% more effective than cryotherapy. However, two other studies found no benefit, but those studies used clear duct tape rather than the standard silver type, which is stickier.

3. Other agents

You can try other agents if your warts don't respond to the previous two strategies. Some use the topical immunotherapy drug imiquimod (Aldara), a standard for genital warts that can also treat skin warts. It is believed to work by causing an allergic response and irritation in the wart area. Chemotherapy drugs are also reportedly used to treat recalcitrant warts. They are applied as a cream. Bleomycin works the same by injecting it into the wart. However, these treatments have side effects, and the evidence of effectiveness is limited.

ALSO READ: Laser Surgery in Medical and Cosmetic Procedures: How Does This Light Technology Alter and Repair the Body?

4. Freezing

This treatment, called cryotherapy, involves spraying liquid nitrogen onto the wart and surrounding area. The extreme cold burns the skin, causing pain, redness, and blister. It takes three or four treatments every two to three weeks to remove the wart.

The outlet noted that any more than that won't help. Applying salicylic acid is recommended to encourage more skin to peel off after the treatment.

Some found freezing or cryotherapy effective, with 50% to 70% cure rates.

5. Zapping and Cutting

The technical term for this treatment is electrodesiccation (or cautery) and curettage. The clinician uses local anesthesia, dries the wart with an electric needle, and scrapes it away with a scoop-like instrument called a curette.

The process usually causes scarring and is reserved for warts that don't respond to other treatments. This should be avoided on the soles of the feet.

What Are Warts?

Warts are a type of skin infection caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). The infection causes rough, skin-colored bumps to form on the skin. It is contagious, and one can get it from touching someone who has them. They usually appear on hands, feet, face, genitals, and knees, according to Cleveland Clinic.

NHS added that verrucas are warts that appear on the feet. They have tiny black dots under the hard skin. They tend to be more painful as if you are standing on a needle.