Treatment FAQ

what is the best treatment for warts on hands

by Alvis Ruecker Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Nonprescription wart removal products such as salicylic acid are available as a patch, ointment, pad and liquid. For common warts, look for a 17 percent salicylic acid solution. These products (Compound W, Dr. Scholl's Clear Away Wart Remover, others) are usually used daily, often for a few weeks.Apr 30, 2022

Medication

To effectively and naturally get rid of hand warts using duct tape, this is what you should do:

  • Clean the area around the hand wart to remove any dirt and grime and dry thoroughly.
  • Cut a piece of duct tape just large enough to cover your wart.
  • Carefully apply the duct tape over your hand wart and press firmly for good adhesion, making sure that no air gets in.
  • Leave the duct tape on for 6 days and then remove.

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Procedures

Natural Wart Remedies Straight From the Kitchen

  • Apple Cider Vinegar. This common household vinegar is thought to work similarly to salicylic acid, a common treatment for warts that peels away affected skin.
  • Banana Peels as a Wart Remedy. The high potassium content in banana peels is thought by some to combat HPV. ...
  • Garlic. ...
  • Orange Peels. ...
  • Pineapples. ...
  • Potatos. ...
  • Dandelion Weed. ...

Therapy

suggests a person should not treat subclinical, or invisible, warts. However, individuals should seek treatment for their genital warts if the warts are growing, spreading, or causing pain or...

Self-care

  • Avoid touching someone’s wart. ...
  • Make sure that everyone in your home has their own towels, washcloths, razors, nail clippers, socks, and other personal items. ...
  • Clean and cover cuts and scrapes. ...
  • Wash your hands often. ...
  • Prevent dry, cracked skin. ...
  • Stop nail biting and cuticle chewing. ...

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Nutrition

What are some common remedies to remove warts on hands?

What is the best home remedy for warts?

When to seek professional treatment for warts?

What causes warts on fingers and home remedies for wart?

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How do you get rid of a wart on your hand fast?

To treat a wart, soak it for 10 to 15 minutes (you can do this in the shower or bath), file away the dead warty skin with an emery board or pumice stone, and apply the salicylic acid. Do this once or twice a day for 12 weeks.

How do I get rid of the warts on my fingers?

Salicylic acid may be the most effective topical wart-removal treatment. It's available over-the-counter in several forms, including as a concentrated liquid, gel, or adhesive pad. It's also available in varying strengths. Before using, talk to your doctor about the type and strength of salicylic acid you should use.

What does it mean if you have warts on your hands?

Common warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The virus is quite common and has more than 150 types, but only a few cause warts on your hands. Some strains of HPV are acquired through sexual contact.

What causes lots of warts on hands?

“The most common way is direct skin-to-skin contact, such as shaking hands with someone who has warts on their hand. You can also get the virus from inanimate objects, like towels that have been used by someone with a wart.”

Are finger warts an STD?

Warts found on your hands cannot be spread through sexual contact. Formed individually or in clusters, benign warts are thickened bumps on the hands or feet that contain HPV. Plantar, filiform, and flat warts are the most common type of hand and foot warts.

Are warts on your hands contagious?

All types of warts are contagious. Warts can affect any body part, but are most common on fingers, hands, and feet.

How long do warts on hands last?

Warts usually clear up without treatment. However, it can take up to 2 years for the virus to leave your system and the warts to disappear. The length of time it takes for a wart to disappear will vary from person to person. They tend to last longer in older children and adults.

Can stress cause warts?

Yes! Stress causes the release of hormones that build up over a long period of time. These hormones weaken the immune system's ability to fight off viruses like the one that causes warts.

What deficiency causes warts?

In our study, patients with warts had significantly lower mean serum vitamin B12 level than patients without warts. Furthermore, they more frequently had decreased serum vitamin B12 levels. Patients with plantar warts had significantly lower mean serum vitamin B12 level than patients without warts.

How do you stop warts from spreading?

When treating a wart, dermatologists recommend that you:Cover your wart. This helps prevent the virus from spreading to other parts of the body, and to other people.Wash your hands immediately after touching the wart. This also helps to prevent spreading the virus to other parts of the body and to other people.

Why do warts turn black with apple cider vinegar?

The skin on the wart may turn black in the first 1 to 2 days, which might signal that the skin cells in the wart are dying. The wart might fall off within 1 to 2 weeks.

Why do my finger warts keep coming back?

Why Do My Warts Keep Coming Back? If you have attempted to treat your warts, but they continue to come back, the treatment has failed to kill the virus. The wart was removed, but the virus is still present. Your immune system may not be strong enough to fight off the virus.

What is the best treatment for genital warts?

The topical immunotherapy drug imiquimod (Aldara), a standard therapy for genital warts, can also be used to treat skin warts. Imiquimod is thought to work by causing an allergic response and irritation at the site of the wart.

How long does it take to get rid of a wart?

Getting rid of the wart this way usually takes three or four treatments, one every two to three weeks; any more than that probably won't help.

How are warts different from strep throat?

A wart virus infection is different from a bacterial infection such as strep throat, which can be caught, treated, and eradicated because it progresses in a distinct, reliable pattern. The ways of warts are much less predictable.

How long does duct tape stay on warts?

In one study comparing duct tape with cryotherapy, subjects wore duct tape patches over their warts for six days. Then they removed the patches, soaked and filed the warts, left them uncovered overnight, and reapplied the tape in the morning, leaving them in place for another six days.

How do skin warts spread?

Skin warts aren't highly contagious. They can spread from person to person by direct contact, mainly through breaks in the skin. Theoretically, you can also pick up warts from surfaces such as locker room floors or showers, but there's no way to know how often this occurs.

Why do skin warts grow faster?

Warts occur when skin cells grow faster than normal because they are infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Among the 150 strains of HPV, about 10 cause cutaneous (skin) warts, including common, plantar, and flat warts (see "Common types of skin warts," below). Certain other strains cause anal warts and genital warts.

What is the best aspirin for skin?

Salicylic acid. This is the main ingredient in aspirin, and it should usually be your first choice. According to one study, salicylic acid is the only topical treatment (treatment applied directly to the skin) that clearly outperforms a placebo.

What is the best way to remove warts?

Unless you have an impaired immune system or diabetes, try these methods: Peeling medicine (salicylic acid). Nonprescription wart removal products such as salicylic acid are available as a patch, ointment, pad and liquid. For common warts, look for a 17 percent salicylic acid solution.

How to get rid of a wart on your skin?

File away any dead skin with a disposable emery board or a pumice stone between treatments. If your skin becomes too irritated, decrease how often you use this method to treat your wart. If you're pregnant, talk with your doctor before using an acid solution. Freezing.

What to do if salicylic acid isn't working?

If salicylic acid or freezing isn't working, your doctor may try trichloroacetic acid. With this method, the doctor first shaves the surface of the wart and then applies the acid with a wooden toothpick. It requires repeat treatments every week or so. Side effects are burning and stinging. Minor surgery.

How to diagnose a wart?

Diagnosis. In most cases, your doctor can diagnose a common wart with one or more o

How long does it take for a wart to go away?

Most common warts go away without treatment, though it may take a year or two and new ones may develop nearby. Some people choose to have their warts treated by a doctor because home treatment isn't working and the warts are bothersome, spreading or a cosmetic concern.

What is the least painful treatment for warts?

Doctors generally start with the least painful methods, especially when treating young children. Your doctor may suggest one of the following approaches, based on the location of your warts, your symptoms and your preferences. These methods are sometimes used in combination with home treatments, such as salicylic acid.

Can cryotherapy cause warts?

Side effects of cryotherapy include pain, blistering and discolored skin in the treated area. Because this technique can be painful, it is usually not used to treat the warts of young children. Other acids. If salicylic acid or freezing isn't working, your doctor may try trichloroacetic acid.

What is the best way to treat warts on hands?

Some products also contain dichloroacetic or trichloroacetic acids, which help to burn the wart away. For most hand warts, a 17% salicylic acid solution or a patch at 15% strength will be effective.

What to do if you have a wart on your hand?

If it is a regular wart, you doctor will likely use a form of cryotherapy (stronger than the OTC products). The doctor may have to numb the your hand before applying the liquid nitrogen.

How to remove a wart from a hand?

Exfoliate the wart with pumice. A quick and cost-effective way to try and remove a hand wart is to exfoliate it with a pumice stone. Pumice is naturally abrasive and works well to sand away the surface layer of the wart, especially if its covered by a thick callous Although pumice stone is effective at removing surface layers, it can't get to the deeper "roots" of the wart below the skin's surface. As such, a pumice stone should be used in conjunction with some sort of ointment to destroy the deeper parts of the hand wart.

How does a wart cream work?

They work by destroying the structure of the wart on a chemical level, ultimately breaking it down into nothing. These creams often contain dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, 5‐fluorouracil, zinc oxide, or some type of low-dose retinoid (vitamin A derivative).

How long does it take for a liquid nitrogen wart to fall off?

Applying liquid nitrogen to a wart causes a blister to form initially, then the blister and wart fall off together after about a week. Multiple treatments are needed so the wart doesn't grow back. To make liquid nitrogen treatment more effective, file down the wart with pumice or an emery board before application.

How to get rid of warts on skin?

Use apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is an old home remedy used to to remove all sorts of skin blemished, including warts. The vinegar contains citric acid and also a high percentage of acetic acid, which is an antiviral (it kills HPV and some other viruses).

Why do warts grow on skin?

Regardless of where they grow, they're caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which invades the skin through small cuts and abrasions. [1] Warts are contagious and can spread with skin contact, particularly to people with weak immune systems.

What is the best treatment for warts on hands?

Citric acid is another natural treatment for hand wart removal with very little side effects. Citric acid is a natural antioxidant that can help to reduce the spread of viruses and kill off viral infections.

How to remove warts from hand?

To remove hand warts with the hydrogen peroxide remedy, you only need a box of cotton swabs and a nail file. Gently file the top layer of skin from the hand wart. Soak the end of the cotton swab in full strength food-grade hydrogen peroxide.

What causes hand warts?

The infection that causes the wart comes from the 100 different types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can get into the skin through a cut, scratch, or abrasion. For many people, hand warts are a source of embarrassment and discomfort.

How does HPV cause warts?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes warts is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact with people who have warts. The virus can also be spread to other parts of your own body.

What is the best way to remove warts?

Apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a common remedy for wart removal and is great for your general health. Apple cider vinegar contains a high amount of acetic acid which has antiviral and antimicrobial properties which can help kill off the human papillomavirus.

How long does it take for a wart to fall off?

This causes a blister to form under the rough skin growth and the wart should fall off in a week or so. Sometimes, repeated treatments are necessary for complete wart removal from your hands, face, or another area of your body. Laser therapy burns the blood vessels that feed the wart.

What are the black dots on my hands?

You may also notice black dots in the grainy bump which are just clotted blood vessels. 3 It’s common to have a cluster of these warts on your hands as the virus spreads easily to surrounding skin.

How to stop warts from spreading?

However, you can lower your risk of picking up the virus or stop warts from spreading by taking these steps: Avoid shaving over a wart. Break the habit of biting your nails or picking at cuticles. Don’t share towels, washcloths, clothing, nail clippers, razors or other personal items.

How to prevent genital warts?

Get the HPV vaccine and use condoms to prevent genital warts. Keep your feet dry to prevent the spread of plantar warts. Try not to scratch, cut or pick at a wart. Wear flip-flops or shoes when using a public locker room, pool area or showers.

What is a wart?

Warts are a type of skin infection caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). The infection causes rough, skin-colored bumps to form on the skin. The virus is contagious. You can get warts from touching someone who has them.

What is a wart on the skin?

Warts are noncancerous (benign) rough bumps that form on the skin. They develop when the human papillomavirus, or HPV, enters a cut or break in the skin and causes an infection. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.

What are the different types of warts?

Wart types vary depending on the affected body part. Types include: Hands: These warts are called common warts because they are the most common type. Face: Flat warts affect the face and forehead. Feet: Plantar warts appear on the soles of the feet. These warts look like calluses with tiny black dots in the center.

How to get rid of a blister on a wart?

Eventually, the blister and wart peel off. You may need several treatments. Immunotherapy: For stubborn warts that don’t respond to traditional treatments, immunotherapy helps your immune system fight the virus. This process involves a topical chemical, such as diphencyprone (DCP).

Why do children get warts?

Children are more prone to warts because they get a lot of cuts. Still, anyone can get warts. People with autoimmune disease or weakened immune systems, including the elderly, are more susceptible to the virus that causes warts.

What is the best way to get rid of warts on hands?

3. Garlic Cloves. Garlic is the best way to get rid of tiny warts on hands.

How to get rid of tiny warts on hands?

Garlic is the best way to get rid of tiny warts on hands. Crush a clove of garlic and then stick a piece to every wart with the help of Band-Aids. Leave this on for about half an hour and then rip off the Band-Aid. Rinse your hands with water. Do this twice daily, and warts will disappear in just a week or so.

How to get rid of warts on a sandpaper?

Splash a cotton ball in the gel and then apply the doused cotton on warts with the assistance of sticky tapes. Leave this on for about 30 minutes. Remove the sticky tapes from the warts. Rinse your hands with water. Do this twice every day, and warts will vanish in some time.

What is the best treatment for HPV on hands?

This is one of the best natural remedies for HPV warts on hands. The antifungal and antiviral properties of apple cider vinegar make it one of the most effective herbal cures for warts on hands ( 1 ).

Can warts be removed?

These can spread throughout the body if not checked in time. Warts can be eliminated with cosmetic surgery techniques which are not only painful but also highly expensive.

Does olive oil help with warts?

The discutient nature of olive oil helps in the dissolution of warts and cysts. Its antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral action is highly beneficial for the removal of different types of warts on hands.

What is the best treatment for warts?

Tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is a powerful antimicrobial remedy. It’s used to treat skin conditions like acne, athlete’s foot, and other skin infections. The oil’s antiviral properties may also help get rid of warts. Some methods suggest applying tea tree oil on the wart, but undiluted oil can cause skin irritation.

What is the best way to remove warts?

Duct tape is one of the most popular home remedies for warts. It’s inexpensive and easy to find. Duct tape is said to remove the infected skin over time. The research on duct tape ’s effectiveness is outdated.

How to treat HPV infection?

It’s thought to improve your body’s reaction to HPV, but there aren’t any studies to support this claim. You can puncture a vitamin E capsule and apply the oil to the wart. Protect the wart with a bandage and keep it on overnight. Repeat daily for two weeks.

How to treat warts with garlic?

To treat warts with garlic, crush up 1 clove and mix it with water. Apply to the wart and cover with a bandage. Repeat daily for three to four weeks. You can also apply garlic juice or rub a clove on the wart.

How to get rid of warts on skin?

Aspirin may also get rid of warts. Its main ingredient is salicylic acid, a common ingredient in over-the-counter wart treatments. Salicylic acid works by peeling away the infected skin. Over time, this removes the wart.

How to get rid of a wart on a swollen ear?

To do so, combine 1 to 2 drops of tea tree oil with 12 drops of a carrier oil, like almond oil or castor oil. Add 3 to 4 drops of this mixture on a cotton ball. Place it on the wart for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat two or three times a day. If you experience irritation, you might need to dilute it even more.

How to get rid of ringworm on skin?

It’s used as a natural remedy for warts, ringworm, dandruff, and other skin conditions. Apply castor oil on the wart every day. It might take two or more weeks for the wart to fall off.

How to get rid of warts on skin?

This type of treatment breaks down the proteins that are in the affected skin, which will cause the wart to dissolve over time. You can also use liquid nitrogen as a way to remove warts as well.

What is the best wart remover?

The Dr. Scholl’s Dual Action Freeze Away Treatment is a great over the counter wart remover that you can try for plantar warts as well as other common types of warts. This product is a treatment process that combines freezer therapy with a liquid treatment to ensure that the wart is removed from the root and it never returns.

How many doses of wart remover are there?

If your wart seems to be resisting treatment, there are eight doses in the packaging so that you can ensure that the entire wart is removed. This wart remover comes with an applicator that is shaped like a cotton swab so that you can place the medication precisely where it needs to be to take care of the wart.

How long does it take for a wart to go away?

First, you will freeze the wart so that the top layer becomes damaged, and your body will begin to reject the wart. After 24 hours have passed, you can apply the liquid medication one or two times a day so that the salicylic acid can do its job.

Why do people go to the doctor for warts?

It is the first option that many go to when they have a wart because an over the counter remedy is much simpler than other types of removal that may require surgery. Also, using an over the counter option also means that you will not need to reveal your wart to your physician, which can be embarrassing for some.

Does compound W remove warts?

If you do not like the idea of freezing your warts off of your skin, Compound W also has an over the counter wart remover that comes in a gel form. The key ingredient in the gel is salicylic acid, which can be quite effective for removing warts.

Is there an over the counter wart remover for dogs?

The first product that we are going to review is an over the counter wart remover that is designed specifically with dogs in mind, but there is a variation that is designed for you to use as well. Both products have the same natural ingredients because they are designed to do the same thing: remove the wart.

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Diagnosis

Treatment

Clinical Trials

Lifestyle and Home Remedies

Medically reviewed by
Dr. Aakash Gupta
Your provider will work with you to develop a care plan that may include one or more of these treatment options.
Most warts are self-resolving. Certain home remedies or treatments could help manage them better. HPV vaccination prevents future infections, but is not a cure.
Medication

Keratolytic agents: Used in the form of patches over the warts.

Salicylic acid


Retinoids: To prevent skin cell growth.

Tretinoin


Terpenoids: Causes the skin under the wart to blister, lifting the wart off the skin.

Cantharidin

Procedures

Electrosurgery: Removal of wart by burning the skin that contains a wart.

Curettage: Removal of wart tissue using a scalpel or a small, sharp, spoon-shaped tool.

Laser surgery: Removal of wart using an intense beam of light, or laser, to burn and destroy the wart tissue.

Therapy

Cryotherapy:A mixture of chemicals is sprayed as cold air on the warts. The dead skin is removed by scraping.

Duct tape occlusion:The wart is covered by a duct tape for several days and then removed.

Immunotherapy:Uses interferons and contact sensitizers to fight HPV.

Self-care

Always talk to your provider before starting anything.

  • Avoid touching or pricking the warts as they are contagious.
  • Do not share your clothes, utensils, objects.
  • Avoid physical or sexual contact when you have warts.

Nutrition

Foods to eat:

  • Foods rich in vitamins and minerals: e.g. dark, leafy greens, sea vegetables, spinach, kale, pumpkin
  • Antioxidant rich Foods: e.g. broccoli, blueberries, tomatoes, and cherries
  • Foods rich in proteins: e.g. meat, fish, tofu beans, nuts

Foods to avoid:

  • Foods containing trans fats: e.g. cakes, cookies, crackers, donuts, margarine and fast Foods such as french fries

Specialist to consult

Dermatologist
Specializes in the study of the skin and its disorders.
Primary care physician
Specializes in the acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health.

Preparing For Your Appointment

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