Buzz
This article is part of our Home Remedy Handbook, which explores the world of home treatments from questionable to doctor-endorsed. Read more here.
Warts, particularly on the hands, often appear without warning. You suddenly notice an odd, rough bump on your skin—or, more likely, your child's—and what should you do next? They’re not easily removed because they are rooted in the skin. Luckily, at-home remedies can be just as effective as those you’d receive from a doctor.
What leads to the formation of warts?
Warts are the result of an infection caused by a virus known as human papillomavirus (HPV). There are numerous variants of this virus, some of which are linked to serious conditions like cervical cancer, as well as cancers of the throat, penis, and anus. That’s why a vaccine exists to protect against it. However, some strains of HPV are harmless, merely leading to warts on the skin.
It’s important to note that warts are contagious. For instance, if you cut a wart and then use the same razor to shave, the virus could spread into a shaving cut. If you have a wart, make sure to cover it with a bandage and wash your hands immediately after touching it.
When is it safe to attempt wart treatment at home?
Not all warts are suitable for at-home remedies, and not everything that appears to be a wart necessarily is.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association advises that professional treatment is necessary for warts located on the face or genital areas, for warts that are painful, itchy, or bleeding, and for those that could be mistaken for a different type of growth, such as skin cancer. If you’re uncertain, seek expert advice.
You should be cautious when dealing with warts if you have diabetes. Cutting or burning the skin on your feet while managing diabetes can lead to nerve damage. Additionally, if you have a weakened immune system, you should seek professional assistance. Your immune system plays a crucial role in fighting off the wart, even though you may be assisting it with home treatments.
What are some home remedies for treating warts?
A simple option for wart treatment is to wait for it to resolve on its own. However, this may take time: Around half of all warts will vanish within a year. If you're fortunate, it may only take a few months, but if you're unlucky, it could take two years or more.
Since your immune system is responsible for eliminating the wart, home treatments essentially accelerate this natural process. The reasoning behind why these methods are effective is that they irritate the wart’s skin, essentially nudging the immune system into action. The goal is to provoke the immune response just enough to encourage healing without causing harm.
Salicylic acid
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, over-the-counter wart removers are considered the top choice for treating warts. However, they aren’t a quick fix. A review of the evidence showed that 73% of warts disappeared within six to twelve weeks of treatment using salicylic acid. In contrast, only 48% of warts resolved in that same period with a placebo.
When using a salicylic acid wart remover, it’s important to first file the wart (you can use a disposable emery board for this purpose) and then apply the acid drop as instructed on the package. Make sure to cover the wart with a bandage to prevent the spread of the virus, and repeat the process as directed.
When my daughter developed a wart on her hand, this was exactly what the doctor suggested. She also gave us the contact details of a dermatologist who could attempt to freeze the wart off. 'Make the appointment,' the doctor said, 'but it might take a few weeks.' In the meantime, we used the wart remover. By the time the appointment came, the wart was almost gone, so we canceled it. Shortly after, the wart simply fell off.
Indeed, it fell off. A wart is not just a rough patch on the skin; it’s more like a small growth. Older generations often mention a 'seed' being underneath a wart, and I understand where that idea comes from. After the wart fell off my daughter’s hand, there was a small crater, but it healed quickly and returned to normal skin.
Duct tape and other traditional remedies.
Another widely suggested remedy for warts is duct tape. You can either apply the tape directly to the wart, changing it daily or when necessary, or use it in conjunction with salicylic acid, replacing the usual band-aid to cover the wart in between treatments.
The idea behind duct tape is that its adhesive can irritate the area just enough to trigger an immune response. While clinical studies haven’t conclusively proven its effectiveness, if wart remover is unavailable, trying duct tape likely won’t cause harm.
Other at-home remedies probably aren’t much help. Suggestions like apple cider vinegar, garlic, and products like retinol cream have been proposed, but there's no solid evidence they work. Still, since warts can sometimes disappear on their own, some people might claim that garlic or hypnosis helped, even if there’s no scientific backing.
For a quirky approach to passing the time while waiting for your wart to vanish, you could experiment with some old-fashioned cures. They’re likely ineffective, but might be fun to try. For instance, some people believed rubbing a wart with a dead cat’s tail or asking a friend to buy your warts (so they could pass them on) could work. Or you could always try frying up some bacon.
In Cheshire, to rid yourself of warts, you simply rub them with a piece of bacon, make a slit in the bark of an ash tree, and tuck the bacon beneath the bark. Over time, your warts will vanish from your hand, though they may reappear as rough growths or lumps on the tree’s bark.
