Wart treatments

Posted by Alona in Fitness for WomenDec 30th, 2010 | no responses

Although many types of warts are more of a nuisance than a health hazard, they are unsightly and can be irritating. Warts are a growth on the skin caused by an infection of the human papillomavirus (HPV), and they are considered contagious. Warts can appear in areas all over the body. There is no surefire preventative measure that you can take to avoid getting a wart but there are treatments to get rid of them. Some common types of skin warts include, flat warts, common warts and filiform warts.

Over-the-counter wart removal treatments

One way people get rid of flat or common warts is to apply an over-the-counter topical cream, gel, pads or ointment to the affected area. Medicines sold over-the-counter for wart removal generally contain Salicylic-acid, which dissolves the protein found in the wart and the dead skin that surrounds it. Since most of the wart is made up of protein, applying salicylic-acid will dissolve the wart.

Another way to get rid of flat or common warts is to freeze the wart off. Your local drugstore will have a shock freeze pen. This is a onetime treatment method for removing a wart. Care should be taken when applying the freeze stick. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after the treatment and throw away the wart and materials used to get rid of it when you are done to avoid contaminating another region of the body or someone else.

Home remedies for wart removal

Besides over-the-counter solutions there are some home remedies which can be effective in getting rid of a wart, however you may find them to be uncomfortable and decide to try a different solution. Suffocating the wart by covering it with tape is one method. Duct tape is the best method but you have to leave the tape on almost all of the time, for at least a week, in order for this method to be effective. One way to get rid of filliform warts, which usually appear on the face or neck area is to apply a slice of a raw potato to the affected area. The potassium in the potato works to fight the HPV virus.

1. You should first protect the area surrounding area with a petroleum jelly being careful not to cover the wart.

2. File off the top of the wart with a disposable nail file.

3. Place a thin slice of the raw potato to the wart,

4. Cover with a bandage overnight for a week or more until the wart falls off.

Overtime a wart will fall off on its own, but to speed up the process a home remedy or a visit to the doctor’s office will help.