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OTC Plantar Wart Remedies

Plantar warts are found on the toes or the soles of the feet, and are caused by Human Papillomavirus. Plantar warts aren't necessarily dangerous, but they can be painful. There are a few over-the-counter (OTC) remedies that will help get rid of plantar warts.

  1. Salicylic Acid

    • Salicylic acid can be found in almost all OTC remedies. It works to soften the wart so that it can be scrubbed away with a nail file or a pumice stone. This is a completely painless process, and is favorable for young children. The process can take up to several weeks for the wart to be completely removed. There are different forms of salicylic acid---including paint, cream, tape and a patch---and each one of these methods needs to be reapplied every few days. Some common forms of wart remover that have salicylic acid are Dr. Scholl's Clear Away, Compound W OneStep Wart Remover, and Curad Mediplast Corn, Callus and Wart Remover.

    Cryotherapy (Freezing)

    • This type of treatment is considered the most effective. Freezing the wart will kill good skin as well as the infected skin, so it can be slightly painful and may need to be done numerous times depending on the severity of the infected area. Some blistering will occur around the infected area and then one to two weeks after the blistering, the wart should start to peel away. In 2002, the FDA approved a combination of dimethyl and propane to be used in freezing off warts at home in OTC remedies, according to Pharmacytimes.com. Some common treatments you could find are Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away, Compound W Wart Remover Freeze Off, and Wartner Plantar Wart Removal.

    Duct Tape

    • According to Warts.org, duct tape has been medically researched as a natural wart remover. You place a small piece of duct tape on the wart which blocks air from getting to it. This method works in the same fashion as salicylic acid---it softens the wart so that it can be scraped away by a nail file or a pumice stone. The tape needs to be left on the wart for about a week. The one draw back to this method is that it can take up to 10 weeks before the wart will be completely removed. A study was conducted in 2002 that found more warts were killed using duct tape then warts being frozen, according to Wartsremedy.com.

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