How to Get Rid of Warts

Are you worried about lesions or rough blemishes on your skin? A virus called human papillomavirus (HPV) causes warts, which commonly grow on the face, hands and feet. Warts are mostly oval in shape and painless, but they are contagious. Here's how to get rid of common warts. (Do not try these treatments for genital warts, which can be a warning sign of cervical cancer; see a doctor.)

Things You'll Need

• Pumice stone
• Soft cloth
• Petroleum jelly
• Adhesive tape
• Salicylic acid
• Band-aid
• Vitamin-C tablets
• Emery boad

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Instructions

• 1

  Boil water and soak a soft cloth in it. Squeeze out the water. Place the cloth on the wart for 10 minutes twice a day. This softens the wart's surface. Rub the wart gently with an emery boad or pumice stone.

• 2

  Protect the skin surrounding the wart with petroleum jelly. Carefully apply salicylic acid just to the wart and let it dry. Put a band-aid on the wart.

• 3

  Cover the wart tightly with several layers of adhesive tape. Leave it on for six days, then check the wart. Remove the tape for a day, then repeat if necessary.

• 4

  Apply crushed vitamin-C tablets, which are mildly acidic and may help remove warts. Cover with a bandage.

• 5

  Consult your physician about cryotherapy, which freezes off the warts with liquid nitrogen. Other possible treatments include applying or injecting lactic acid or podophyllin. These treatments should be carried out only under a doctor's supervision.