Most Effective Wart Removal

Finding an effective wart removal method can be a frustrating and time-consuming process. While some warts may disappear on their own in time, others are stubborn and require treatment. Warts most commonly appear on the face, feet or hands, but can grow almost anywhere on the body, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Home remedies are usually the first step in wart removal.

Duct Tape

• The silver tape used for everything from repairing holes to removing lint may also be effective in removing warts. Duct tape wart treatment begins by covering the wart with a small piece of tape for six days. On the seventh day, the tape is removed and the wart is soaked in warm water, followed by treatment with a pumice stone or emery board. The emery board or pumice stone is rubbed over the wart to remove the top layers of the growth, gradually reducing the size. Duct tape is reapplied to the wart and the process is repeated every six days until the wart vanishes.
  A study published in the October 2002 edition of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that duct tape was more successful in removing warts than freezing the growths. The study revealed that 85 percent of patients using duct tape saw their warts disappear, while warts disappeared in only 60 percent of the patients enrolled in the cryotherapy, or freezing, group.

Home Treatment

• Over-the-counter wart removal medications containing salicylic acid can be helpful in removing warts if the duct tape method is unsuccessful. Medication is applied directly to the wart after the wart is soaked in warm water and rubbed with a pumice stone or emery board. Care should be taken to avoid getting the wart medication on the healthy skin around the wart. Wart medications are available in liquid or pad forms. Treatment may take as long as three months to completely remove the wart. When there is no evidence of the wart present or no dark grains evident in the skin, the treatment can be stopped.

Medical Treatment

• Stubborn warts or warts growing in sensitive areas of the body may need to be treated by a doctor. If your wart resists treatment, your doctor may suggest treatment with a tropical drug called cantharidin. Three to eight hours after cantharidin is applied to the skin, the wart will begin to blister. During a follow up visit with your doctor, the dead skin resulting from the blistering will be removed.
  Cryotherapy can be used to remove the skin by killing the cells with a liquid nitrogen, a special solution that freezes the wart. The process can be painful and several treatments may be needed before the wart is completely removed. Cryotherapy cures 50 percent of warts after one treatment, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.
  Warts may also be removed by cutting or burning, although these treatment methods can result in scarring. Laser treatments may also be used to remove warts and do not usually produce scars.