|  | Conditions Treatments | Warts

How to Get Rid of a Wart Close to Your Nail

Periungual warts, which are caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, develop near or underneath fingernails and toenails. While such warts are small at first, they grow over time and can eventually take root under your nail. If not properly treated, warts near nails can destroy the nail bed, causing the nail to fall off. Physicians can offer several remedies, or you can perform certain techniques at home to cure this problem or prevent it from worsening.

Things You'll Need

  • Wart cream
  • Wart removal bandages
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Cotton ball
  • Small bandages
  • Nail polish
  • Cotton swab
  • Baby red potato
  • Knife
Show More

Instructions

  1. Procedures Performed by Physicians

    • 1

      Seek laser treatments to get rid of the wart. Call the offices of local physicians or dermatologists to see if they offer laser treatments for warm removal. If so, inquire about how much the procedure costs. Schedule an appointment and show up to have the treatment done. Most warts can be removed from the skin during one session.

    • 2

      Get the wart removed with liquid nitrogen. Contact your family physician to inquire about the availability of freezing and removing warts and how much the procedure costs. Schedule an appointment and show up to have the treatment done. Using liquid nitrogen, the wart is frozen and either falls off or is cut off by the physician, if it is accessible.

    • 3

      Consult your doctor about the use of salicylic acid to remove warts. If the wart is fully visible, salicylic acid may be a viable option to remove the wart by applying acid to the area and having it eat away at the skin cells. Schedule an appointment and have the treatment performed. The process can sometimes be painful and occasionally results in scarring where the wart was.

    Home Remedies for Warts

    • 4

      Buy an over-the-counter wart remover. If the wart near your nail is fully accessible, apply a topical anti-cream wart. Consult the directions on the package to find out how much of the cream to use and how to properly apply it to the skin. Other products, such as wart removal bandages, are also available.

    • 5

      Apply some apple cider vinegar to a cotton ball. Place the cotton ball over the wart, and secure the cotton ball to your wart using a small bandage overnight. Remove the bandage and cotton ball from the wart in the morning to let the area "breathe." Repeat the process nightly until the wart has disappeared.

    • 6

      Cover the wart with nail polish. Dip a cotton swab in nail polish and brush the wart with the swab and polish. Repeat this process multiple times a day at your discretion until the wart disappears or falls off. The chemicals in the nail polish seal off the wart from air nutrients it needs to survive, thus causing it to "die" and fall off.

    • 7

      Wash a baby red potato and slice it into quarters using a knife. Take one of the quarters and place one of the exposed ends directly onto the wart. Rub the potato back and forth over the surface of the wart in a circular motion for several minutes. Repeat again three more times daily with the other quarters of the potato until the wart is gone.

Warts - Related Articles