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Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus and can come in various sizes, colors, and shapes. While they can appear anywhere on the body, they are most commonly found on the hands, face, and feet. In most cases, warts do not pose any health risks, although they can be painful (this type is known as a corn). Generally, warts will disappear over time. You can remove warts on your fingers using over-the-counter treatments or medical therapies. This article focuses on removing common warts on fingers and does not cover genital warts.
Steps
Using Over-the-Counter Medications
Apply salicylic acid patches or gel. Salicylic acid is an effective wart removal treatment available without a prescription, which can be found at most pharmacies. It works by dissolving the protein in the wart and the surrounding dead skin. Look for patches, gel, or drops that contain 17% salicylic acid or patches with 15% salicylic acid.
- Apply the product once a day for several weeks. For optimal results, soak the wart in warm water for 10-20 minutes to soften the skin. Afterward, you can file the dead skin around or over the wart using a pumice stone or emery board. Once the dead skin is removed, apply the salicylic acid patch to the wart.
- Between treatments, you can continue filing the dead skin off the wart using an emery board or pumice stone. Be sure to never share your tools with anyone, and dispose of them after the wart is gone.
- It may take up to 12 weeks or more to see the wart shrink and eventually disappear. If the wart becomes irritated, painful, or red, stop using salicylic acid and consult a doctor.
Use over-the-counter freezing products. You can also try using freezing products to treat warts. Wart sprays are available without a prescription at most pharmacies. These sprays work by freezing the wart at temperatures as low as -57°C.
- Keep in mind that over-the-counter freezing products are not as effective as liquid nitrogen treatment provided by a doctor. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises caution when using wart treatments, as they can be flammable and should not be used near open flames or heat sources.
Medical Treatments
Undergo chemical treatment as prescribed by a doctor. A doctor may recommend using prescription-strength chemicals to destroy the skin cells of the wart. These treatments typically involve chemicals like formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and silver nitrate.
- Side effects of chemical treatments may include darkening of the skin and a burning sensation around the wart area.
- Your doctor might also recommend a stronger prescription medication containing salicylic acid. This treatment can gradually eliminate the wart and is often more effective when combined with freezing or cryotherapy.
Consult a doctor about cryotherapy treatment. Cryotherapy is a procedure that involves applying liquid nitrogen to the wart, causing a blister to form underneath and around the wart. The dead tissue can then be removed within 7-10 days after the treatment. This method can also stimulate the immune system to fight the virus causing the wart, and multiple sessions may be required to fully remove the wart.
- Cryotherapy treatments typically last 5-15 minutes and may cause discomfort. If the wart on your hand is large, you may need several rounds of cryotherapy to completely eliminate it.
- Side effects of cryotherapy include pain, blisters, and discoloration of the skin surrounding the wart.
Consider laser therapy for wart removal. Your doctor may suggest laser therapy, which involves using a pulsed dye laser to burn the small blood vessels in the wart. The infected tissue will die, causing the wart to fall off.
- Keep in mind that the effectiveness of this treatment can be limited. The procedure may also cause pain and scarring around the wart area.
Using Unproven Home Remedies
Try using duct tape therapy. Research on the effectiveness of duct tape for removing warts has been mixed. Many doctors believe that duct tape is no more effective than a placebo and is not very successful in treating warts. However, there are some reports of successful wart removal using this method.
- You can try the duct tape method by covering the wart with duct tape for 6 days. After 6 days, soak the wart in water and gently remove the dead skin from the wart or surrounding area using a pumice stone or emery board.
- Leave the wart exposed to air for 12 hours and repeat this process until the wart is gone.
Use raw garlic. This method suggests that the spicy properties of garlic can cause the wart to blister and fall off. Keep in mind that this is not a medically proven treatment and may not be as effective as professional medical treatments.
- Crush one or two garlic cloves using a mortar and pestle until they are a paste. Apply the garlic to the wart and cover it with a bandage to let the garlic work on the wart.
- Apply fresh garlic to the wart once a day, but avoid putting it on the healthy skin around the wart. You can apply Vaseline to the surrounding healthy skin to prevent the garlic from touching it.
Soak the wart in apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar does not kill the virus causing the wart but contains high levels of acid that can help peel off the skin layers on the wart, causing it to fall off. You may feel some pain and swelling when applying apple cider vinegar, but this will subside after a few days. Note that this is not a medically proven wart treatment.
- Dip one or two cotton balls in 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Squeeze out excess vinegar, but ensure the cotton balls are soaked.
- Place the cotton balls on the wart and secure them with gauze or medical tape. Leave the apple cider vinegar on the skin overnight. Repeat this nightly with fresh cotton balls for 1-2 weeks. After a few days, the wart may darken or turn black, a good sign that the vinegar is working. Eventually, the wart will fall off on its own.
Apply basil leaves. Fresh basil contains antiviral properties and may help speed up the wart removal process. Keep in mind that this is not a proven wart treatment, and you should consider using it carefully.
- Using clean hands or a mortar and pestle, crush ¼ cup of basil leaves until they are mashed and wet. Apply the crushed basil leaves directly to the wart and cover it with a bandage or clean cloth.
- Continue applying basil leaves for 1-2 weeks until the wart falls off.
Preventing Warts on the Fingers
Avoid picking at warts and prevent direct contact with others' warts. The virus that causes warts can be transmitted from person to person if you touch or pick at a wart. It is important to avoid touching the wart on your hand and refrain from picking or scratching it.
- Do not share nail files or pumice stones with others. Only use these tools on the wart and avoid using them on any other part of your body to prevent spreading the virus.
Maintain hand and nail hygiene. If possible, avoid biting your nails. Warts are more likely to develop on damaged skin, such as from biting or chewing.
- Avoid rubbing, cutting, or scraping areas with warts, as this can irritate them and spread the virus.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly after touching a wart or any public surfaces, such as gym equipment or bus handrails.
Wear flip-flops around pools and in public showers. To minimize the risk of developing or spreading warts, always wear plastic flip-flops in locker rooms and public areas such as pools or showers.
- If you have a wart and plan to swim in a public pool, cover the wart with waterproof plastic material to prevent spreading the infection.
