Facial Wart Removal

Warts can appear all over the body, but when they are on your face, they present an appearance that you want to rid yourself of as soon as possible. Warts are caused by several different strains of human papillomavirus and often appear on the face in a finger-like shape near the eyes or mouth. Remove facial warts in a number of ways, using everything from over-the-counter remedies to surgical procedures.

Over the Counter

• Pharmacies and supermarkets offer a wide range of wart-removal medications without a prescription.

  Use a pad or liquid form of salicyclic acid applied directly to the wart for gradual removal of facial warts. Using a silver nitrate pencil is another safe option, but all over-the-counter (OTC) remedies tend to be less effective and take longer to completely remove the warts than treatment provided by a dermatologist, according to DocShop.

  Weigh your options based on your budget. OTC remedies for wart removal will cost far less than a trip to the doctor’s office.

Doctor’s Remedies

• A dermatologist specializes in skin health and may offer the most effective removal of facial warts.

  Talk to your dermatologist about removing your warts, using liquid nitrogen to freeze them, according to Medic8. This procedure is known as cryosurgery. A doctor may also suggest the use of lasers to burn off the warts or injections to boost the immune system to help the body rid itself of the virus causing them. Talk to your dermatologist about the possibility of scarring with each method before deciding on a plan of action.

  Expect to undergo repeated treatments to permanently remove the warts, depending on the method used.

Home Remedies

• Use a home remedy to remove your warts if you want to save your money and go it alone. Keep in mind that although there are accounts of these methods being safe and effective, they have not been thoroughly studied and dermatologists do not usually recommend them.

  Use duct tape to cover the wart for a week and remove the tape. The wart will shrivel up and dry out, and the remains of the wart will come off on the tape when you remove it. Since the wart is on your face, you may not be willing to leave it on for an adequate amount of time. Depending on the wart, it could take several weeks or even months for this remedy to completely remove the wart.

  Soak a cotton ball in vinegar and press it against the wart and hold it in place with an adhesive bandage before you go to bed at night. Remove the bandage and cotton ball the next morning and the wart will begin to change. Reapply this method each night until the wart is gone.

  Do not attempt to burn or cut a wart off of your face. This can be dangerous and could result in unwanted scarring.