How to Safely Remove Warts From Children

Warts are the tumor caused by human papillomavirus, a contagious virus. Common warts in children will usually heal all by themselves. Typically, a wart will go away within 2 years whether treated or not. They are contagious, but according to the National Institutes for Health, it is uncommon to spread warts from person to person. Of all the available wart removal methods, duct tape is the least invasive, most inexpensive, and works the best. According to the NIH, using duct tape as a wart removal method works better than cyrotherapy, and removes warts 80 percent of the time.

Things You'll Need

• Duct tape (gray, not clear)
• Emery board
• Pumice stone

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Instructions

• 1

  Make sure that the child's warts are suitable for the duct tape method. They should not be on the genital area, for example. This method is suitable for a few warts on the hands and feet. Anything more serious should be seen be a doctor.

• 2

  Clean the area around the wart with soap and water. Dry the skin. Apply a small piece of duct tape over the wart. The duct tape needs to be the silver kind, and needs to cover the wart entirely. According to the NIH, the tape should stay on the wart for six days.

• 3

  Remove the tape on the sixth day, and leave it off overnight. When you remove the tape, rub the wart with a pumice stone or emery board. The stone or emery board needs to be cleaned thoroughly after rubbing the wart, as it has come in contact with the virus and could infect you.

• 4

  Repeat this process every six days for two months. The wart should disappear by this time. There is no harm in repeating the process, but you may want to see a doctor if the wart has not disappeared after two months of using this method.