How to get rid of warts on hands

A: Common warts are caused by infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), which is an umbrella term for over 100 types of viruses. Certain strains of HPV can cause common warts to develop on the hands, fingers and other non-genital areas of the body.

To treat a wart, soak it for 10 to 15 minutes (you can do this in the shower or bath), file away the deceased warty skin with an emery board or pumice stone, and apply the salicylic acid. Do this once or twice a day for 12 weeks.

Most warts are harmless and will go away on their own within a few weeks or months. But they can be bothersome and unattractive, and some people feel ashamed. There are a number of different treatments that can make warts go away more quickly – but they don’t always work.

All types of warts are contagious. Warts can affect any body part, but are most common on fingers, hands, and feet.

Weakened Defenses

Some people are at increased risk for warts due to weakened immune systems. Teenagers and people who have conditions that weaken their immune systems, like HIV, are at increased risk for warts.

What causes warts? Warts are caused by an infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV). The virus causes an excess amount of keratin, a hard protein, to develop in the top skin layer (epidermis). The extra keratin produces the rough, hard texture of a wart.

I didn’t want to take that drastic step yet, and then I remembered either Vicks VapoRub or duct tape as a home remedy from your column on warts. So I had my wife put a dab of VapoRub on the wart and cover it with duct tape. Five days of this and no more wart. It just fell out, and the hole closed.

However, it has been shown that salicylic acid is effective at treating warts. Salicylic acid and other wart treatments also destroy healthy skin, so it is important to protect your skin before applying the treatment. You can use petroleum jelly or a corn plaster to cover the skin around the wart.

Peeling medicine (salicylic acid).

For common warts, look for a 17 percent salicylic acid solution. These products (Compound W, Dr. Scholl’s Clear Away Wart Remover, others) are usually used daily, often for a few weeks. For best results, soak your wart in warm water for a few minutes before applying the product.

Gather a bottle of apple cider vinegar, cotton balls or cotton-tipped applicators, and a small bandage. Soak the cotton ball in apple cider vinegar, and apply this to the area where the wart is. Place the bandage over the cotton ball and leave it in place overnight. Some people may leave it on for up to 24 hours.

It is observed that toothpaste can make warts slowly dry out by cutting off the oxygen supply. Though toothpaste is one of the popular home remedies for getting rid of warts, it is advised to not use toothpaste on your warts because it can do more harm than good by irritating your skin.

Using super glue on warts turns out to be a patented method that works much the same as duct tape, except that when the glue is removed every 6 days, some of the wart is removed with it.

Mix two parts apple cider vinegar in one-part water. Soak a cotton ball in the vinegar-water solution. Apply the cotton ball directly on the wart. Cover with tape or a bandage, keeping the cotton ball on the wart overnight (or for longer if possible).

A doctor can use a special instrument or knife to scrape or cut away the wart. Curettage may leave scarring and is not a good technique to remove warts on the soles of the feet. Duct tape may help to remove warts, as preventing air and sunlight can sometimes eliminate a wart.

Don’t rub, scratch, or pick at the wart. Doing so could spread the virus to another part of your body or cause the wart to become infected.

Cutting the wart off won’t cure the core infection (so the wart is likely to grow back anyway), and if you do it improperly you can make the situation much worse and greatly increase your risk of a painful infection.

Home Treatments for Warts

Any object used (tweezers, file, etc.) should not be used on any other body part after touching the wart. Those with diabetes should not treat warts on the feet.