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Homemade Cures to Remove Warts

Common warts are benign skin growths caused by the human papilloma virus. Warts can spread to other parts of the body and may even be contagious to other people who come into contact with your wart. Expensive medical treatments include cryotherapy or freezing, excising the wart or burning the growth off your skin. Home remedies offer another solution to eliminating embarrassing warts.

  1. Duct Tape

    • Cover your wart with duct tape during the daytime hours. At night, remove the duct tape and soak your skin in water to remove any adhesive from your skin. Pumice the wart to remove dead skin. Reapply the duct tape the next morning. The process should eliminate your wart within a few weeks. A study in 2002 by Dr. Dean Focht reported by the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that the adhesives in duct tape triggered an immune system response that attacked the wart.
      This treatment may be especially helpful for treating warts at home on children because it is painless and not as intimidating as cryotherapy.

    Herbal and Natural Ingredients

    • Use herbal ingredients to eliminate warts naturally. Aloe vera, garlic, green tea and goldenseal may be used to treat warts in the home.
      Choose an herbal ingredient and dilute it with vegetable oil or water, and then apply topically to the wart. Try one ingredient at a time to find the one that works for your warts. Herbal treatments have not been studied to the same degree as over-the-counter commercial wart removers and cannot be guaranteed for effectiveness.
      The enzymes in banana skins, papaya, pineapple and figs may help eliminate warts. Cut a slice of one type of fruit and tape it to your wart overnight.

    When to See a Doctor

    • Warts usually will clear up with home treatment. If your warts are multiplying rapidly or if they are causing a concern because of their appearance, a doctor can remove your warts quickly.
      Warts are not usually a health concern, but if they are becoming irritated by clothing, you may wish to have them removed.
      Include a skin examination as a part of your regular checkup with your doctor. He will check your skin from head to toe for unusual growths and pigment changes. Warts are not a cause for concern in most cases, but you always should be aware of changes in size and color of growths on your skin.

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