Medication
The method chosen by the doctor or dermatologist will depend on the severity of the warts, the symptoms and the general health of the person. Salicylic acid: This is a popular method for treating warts. Salicylic acid works by gradually dissolving layers of the wart tissue, eventually resulting in total removal.
Procedures
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.
Therapy
Your doctor may also have some questions for you, such as: 1 When did you first notice the warts? 2 Have you ever had them in the past? 3 Are you bothered by the warts, either for cosmetic reasons or for comfort? 4 What treatments have you already used for your warts? If so, how long have you used them and what were the results? More ...
Self-care
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. Home treatment is often effective in removing common warts.
Nutrition
What is the best treatment for warts?
What are the different types of nonprescription wart removal?
What questions should I ask my doctor about my warts?
What is the Mayo Clinic doing about warts?
How are common warts treated?
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. For best results, soak your wart in warm water for a few minutes before applying the product.
Which one of the following is used in the treatment of warts removal?
Salicylic acid peels the skin away in layers, which removes the wart over time. The acid also irritates the wart area, which encourages the immune system to respond to the virus. Salicylic acid is an affordable, accessible, and safe treatment option for getting rid of warts and has very few side effects.
Is salicylic acid good for warts?
Salicylic acid works to remove warts by exfoliating the skin cells until the wart is gone. The acid may also trigger an immune response to build healthy skin cells in the area. With continued daily application, the salicylic acid solution will often remove the wart.
How many treatments are there for warts?
To completely remove a wart, the treatments may be needed every 1 to 3 weeks for a total of 2 to 4 times. If no improvement is noted, your doctor may recommend another type of treatment. Other treatments for warts on the skin. Your doctor may choose to burn the wart, cut it out, or remove it with a laser.
Is laser treatment effective for warts?
Pulsed-Dye Laser This is the main type of laser used to remove warts. The light heats up the blood in the tiny vessels inside the wart and destroys the vessels. Without blood, the wart dies and falls off. The laser's heat may also attack the virus that causes the wart.
Can warts be treated with oral medication?
Oral isotretinoin is effective in the treatment of recalcitrant facial plane warts.
What are common warts?
Common warts are small, grainy skin growths that occur most often on your fingers or hands. Rough to the touch, common warts also often feature a pattern of tiny black dots, which are small, clotted blood vessels. Common warts are caused by a virus and are transmitted by touch.
Can you use plantar wart remover on common warts?
Salicylic acid helps cause the wart to gradually peel off. This medication is also used to help remove corns and calluses. This product should not be used on the face or on moles, birthmarks, warts with hair growing from them, or genital/anal warts.
Who can use salicylic acid?
Anyone can use salicylic acid, but it's especially useful for people with oily or acne-prone skin. Here's what it can do: Penetrates deep into pores. Loosens dead skin cells.
How do doctors treat warts?
Cryotherapy done at a doctor's office involves applying liquid nitrogen to the wart, either with a spray or a cotton swab. This method can be painful, so your doctor may numb the area first. The chemical causes a blister to form around your wart, and the dead tissue sloughs off within a week or so.
When is wart treatment complete?
People need regular treatments every 1–2 weeks to prevent the wart from growing back. After 3–4 months of treatment, cryotherapy effectively removes warts in about 70% of cases. However, cryotherapy can cause blistering, which can last up to several days or weeks.
Is there a systemic treatment for warts?
Systemic agents that have been used to treat warts include cimetidine, retinoids, and intravenous cidofovir.
What medicine to use for warts?
Peeling medicines include salicylic acid (stronger than you can buy at the store), tretinoin, and glycolic acid. Bleomycin: The dermatologist may inject each wart with an anti-cancer medicine, bleomycin. The shots may hurt. They can have other side effects, such as nail loss if given in the fingers.
How to treat a wart in the skin?
A dermatologist may use one of the following treatments: 1 Cantharidin: A dermatologist may treat a wart in the office by "painting" it with cantharidin. Cantharidin causes a blister to form under the wart. In a week or so, you can return to the office and the dermatologist will clip away the dead wart. 2 Cryotherapy: For common warts in adults and older children, cryotherapy (freezing) is the most common treatment. This treatment is not too painful. It can cause dark spots in people who have dark skin. It is common to need repeat treatments. 3 Electrosurgery and curettage: Electrosurgery (burning) is a good treatment for common warts, filiform warts, and foot warts. Curettage involves scraping off (curetting) the wart with a sharp knife or small, spoon-shaped tool. These two procedures often are used together. The dermatologist may remove the wart by scraping it off before or after electrosurgery. 4 Excision: The doctor may cut out the wart (excision).
Can a dermatologist treat warts?
Although most warts are harmless, dermatologists do treat them. You should see a dermatologist if you cannot get rid of the warts, the warts hurt, or you have many warts. Dermatologists have many treatments for warts. The treatment used depends on the patient’s age and health as well as the type of wart. A dermatologist may use one of the ...
Can warts go away with immunotherapy?
A mild allergic reaction occurs around the treated warts. This reaction may cause the warts to go away. Another type of immunotherapy involves getting shots of interferon. The shots can boost the body’s immune system, which gives the body the ability to fight the virus.
Do warts return at the same site?
This means that warts can return at the same site or appear in a new spot . Sometimes, it seems that new warts appear as fast as old ones go away. This happens when the old warts shed virus cells into the skin before the warts are treated. This allows new warts to grow around the first warts.
Can you peel warts?
Chemical peels: When flat warts appear, there are usually many warts. Because so many warts appear, dermatologists often prescribe "peeling" methods to treat these warts. This means, you will apply a peeling medicine at home every day.
How to treat warts?
Common treatments. Salicylic acid: This is a popular method for treating warts. Salicylic acid works by gradually dissolving layers of the wart tissue, eventually resulting in total removal. It is generally applied to the wart as a gel or liquid.
What is a common wart?
Common warts, also known as verruca vulgaris, is a common dermatological condition that causes small, fleshy growths on the skin. They are most often found on the hands or fingers, but can also occur in any other non-genital location. Common warts are caused by an infection with certain types of human papillomavirus ...
What is the best way to remove warts?
Along with peeling away the surface of the warts, salicylic acid may also encourage the body’s immune system to combat the virus. Cryotherapy: Generally performed by a doctor or dermatologist, cryotherapy is a method of freezing warts using liquid nitrogen.
What are warts called?
Common warts are generally: [3] Small, raised skin growths. Oval or round in shape. Rough to the touch. Hard around the edges and softer in the middle. Speckled with small black dots or “seeds”. Good to know: The small black dots or spots in a wart are sometimes called wart “seeds”.
How long does it take for a wart to appear?
HPV infects the skin through small cuts, scrapes or weak spots, with warts appearing approximately two to six months later.. The virus causes the protein keratin to develop in excess on the surface of the skin, resulting in the appearance of a wart. [6] [7]
How to diagnose warts?
Diagnosing common warts. In the majority of cases, a doctor or dermatologist will be able to diagnose common warts through a simple physical examination. If further confirmation is needed, a skin biopsy may be ordered. To do this, the top layer of a wart will be scraped off and sent to a laboratory for testing.
How long does it take to remove duct tape from a wart?
Removing the duct tape every three to six days and gently using an emery board or pumice stone on the wart. Covering the wart with a fresh piece of duct tape about 10 to 12 hours later. Results may only be seen after a number of weeks, if at all. Duct tape can cause skin irritation, bleeding and pain when removed.
What is the best way to treat a wart?
If you decide to treat your own wart, your first-choice remedy should be an over-the-counter medication in liquid, gel, pad, or ointment form.
What is the best medicine for genital warts?
Prescribing a topical medication called imiquimod ( Aldara ), which improves your body's fighting capabilities. This is mainly helpful for genital warts. Getting rid of warts takes persistence. It is in the rare situation that a wart is gone with a single treatment.
How to remove a wart from a spherical object?
If over-the-counter treatment fails, your doctor can remove a wart by: 1 Freezing it with liquid nitrogen. 2 Burning it off with an electric needle or a laser. 3 Applying acids to help destroy the wart. 4 Injecting a drug called bleomycin into the wart (which kills the virus), used for severe cases. 5 Injecting candida antigen to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight off the wart. 6 Prescribing a topical medication called imiquimod ( Aldara ), which improves your body's fighting capabilities. This is mainly helpful for genital warts.
How to get rid of a wart on your arm?
Burning it off with an electric needle or a laser. Apply ing acids to help destroy the wart. Injecting a drug called bleomycin into the wart (which kills the virus), used for severe cases. Injecting candida antigen to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight off the wart.
How long does it take for a wart to go away?
One-fifth of all warts disappear within six months, and two-thirds are gone within two years. However, if your wart doesn't disappear, or if it's unsightly or uncomfortable, you can try self-treatment or seek help from your doctor.
Can butane kill warts?
The sprays generally contain liquid butane and are sprayed directly onto the wart to freeze and kill the tissue. Temperatures can reach as low as a negative 100 degrees. The down side of this home treatment is that it may not freeze the wart deep enough to be effective.
What are the types of warts?
Depending on the place and the strength of the infection that causes the wart, the body will have different reactions. Since they are caused by HPV and transmitted by touch, the condition can appear anywhere.
How to diagnose common warts?
If a person suspects that they have a wart, the recommendation is to make a specialized health assessment.
Common warts treatment and prevention
Once a common wart is correctly diagnosed, the physician will indicate the appropriate treatment. The treatment has to kill all the infected cells to be effective. This can be difficult if the infection has gone too deep in the skin.
