How to Wipeout Warts

If your hands look like you've been playing with toads again, covered in warts, help is on the way. First, you don't get warts from a toad. Warts are benign skin tumors caused by the papilloma virus, and can occur anytime or anywhere, singularly or in groups. There are many ways that you can remove them, and there are also ways to prevent them.

Things You'll Need

• Vitamin E
• Vitamin A
• Duct tape or first-aid tape
• Wart removal creams
• Shoes
• Disinfectant spray

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Instructions

• 1

  Give a wart its vitamins. Vitamin A placed directly on the wart has been effective in removing the wart. However, it isn't an overnight cure. Treating warts with Vitamin A daily can take up to month or more to be effective. If it is a plantar wart (a wart on the bottom of your foot), it may take several months.You may also try Vitamin E oil, as this has also been helpful in the removal of warts.

• 2

  If you can't fix it, duct it. That's right, this old-time remedy has shown that duct tape, medical tape or first-aid tape applied to the wart can help erase it. Just cover the wart completely and snugly, and leave the tape on for up to a week. You can change the tape if you need it to look cleaner, but try to keep it covered . This treatment may take up to three weeks to work, but the results for some have been amazing.

• 3

  Feed the warts. Give those warts a daily dose of castor oil. You can also mix the castor oil with baking soda and apply the paste directly to the warts. Then cover the wart with tape. The feed and tape method is said to work with garlic, lemon soaked in apple cider vinegar, raw potato slices and even banana peel. Placing the inside of a banana peel against a plantar wart and taping it there is reported to be one of the most effective natural remedies for those painful warts.

• 4

  Hit the over-the-counter treatment aisle. There are many creams, oils or ointments that are reported to help dissolve, remove or dry up warts. Many have had some success. The most successful products all contain some measure of salicylic acid in them.

• 5

  Protect yourself. Warts are caused by a virus, and that means you need to take some precautions to avoid catching it, similar to avoiding those who have a cold. Keep your feet dry. Warts thrive in a moist environment, so take care to avoid them. Wear thongs in the shower or locker room, and check feet daily for any cracks or cuts that could allow the virus to enter. Spray a disinfectant like Lysol before using the shower. Don't wear other people's shoes. Try a hands-off approach. Don't touch the wart if possible, as you may spread it to the next place you touch.