How to Stop Pain From Wart Freezing

Warts are ugly skin infections that typically show up on the hands, feet or genitals. One of the most common ways to get rid of warts is by freezing them off, either by going to a doctor or by using an over-the-counter treatment you can apply yourself. The advantage of having warts frozen off at the doctor's office is that you will see results faster. However, as your skin starts to thaw after this treatment, it can be painful. Knowing how to take care of this pain ahead of time will ensure a much better experience during the treatment.

Instructions

• 1

  Take 800 mg of ibuprofen about an hour before you have your warts frozen, and take another 800 mg three to four hours later if you are still in pain. The maximum dose of ibuprofen an adult should take at one time is 800 mg, and no one should take more than 3200mg in one day. Over-the-counter Motrin usually comes in 200 mg tablets.

• 2

  If you are a woman, do not make your cryosurgery appointment for the week before or the week of your period. Women tend to have a greater sensitivity to pain during this time.

• 3

  Request that your doctor use an anesthetic cream on the area you are having frozen. Cryosurgery involves the use of liquid nitrogen to quickly freeze the warts and the tissue around it, and the pain will set in as the tissue begins to unfreeze. Numbing the area beforehand should take care of any immediate discomfort.

• 4

  Pretreat your warts, and it may help cut down the number of times you will need to visit the doctor to destroy the warts. Two weeks prior to cryosurgery, begin applying an over-the-counter 17 percent salicylic acid gel to your warts at night. Cover them with a 40 percent salicylic acid pad while you sleep. By the time you go in for surgery, you will have weakened the top layer of the wart, and the doctor can get inside and freeze the root.

• 5

  Consider alternative methods of wart removal if you don't want to experience the pain of getting them frozen off. Salicylic acid is effective and is sold over the counter, though it works more slowly than cryosurgery. Covering the wart with duct tape for two or three weeks will cause it to disappear, and there are also medicated pads made especially for treating warts. In some cases, there are laser and surgery treatments available.