Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Using over-the-counter products
• Method 2 of 4: Using medical supplies
• Method 3 of 4: Using unproven home remedies
• Method 4 of 4: Prevent warts on your fingers

Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and can be of many different sizes, colors and shapes. They can develop anywhere on the body, but are common on the feet, face, and hands. Most warts do not cause disease and other health problems, but they can sometimes be painful (such a wart is also called a whitlow). Warts often disappear on their own after a long period of time. You can get rid of warts by using over-the-counter and medicinal products. You can also avoid getting warts on your fingers by taking certain precautions. This article is only about treating warts on the fingers and not genital warts.

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Method 1 of 4: Using over-the-counter products

1. Use pads or a gel with salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a non-prescription wart remover that you can buy at pharmacies and pharmacies. It helps dissolve the proteins in the wart and the dead skin around it. Look for wart removal pads, patches, gels, or drops containing 17% salicylic acid, or patches containing 15% salicylic acid.
   • You will need to apply these once a day for several weeks. For best results, soak your finger or fingers with the warts in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes. This will soften the skin on the wart. Then file away the dead skin on and around the wart with an emery file or pumice stone. Once you've filed away the dead skin, apply a pad, gel, or patch with salicylic acid to the wart.
   • In between treatments, you can file away the dead skin on and around the wart with an emery file or a pumice stone. Do not lend the emery file or pumice stone to another and throw it away when the wart is gone.
   • You may need to use salicylic acid for 12 weeks or more until the wart flattens and disappears. If the wart becomes irritated, painful, or red, stop taking salicylic acid and talk to your doctor.
2. Use over-the-counter remedies for freezing warts. You can also freeze the warts to try to remove them. You can get aerosol cans with a remedy for warts without a prescription from the drugstore and pharmacy. Such a spray will freeze the warts at a temperature of about -60 ° C.
   • Keep in mind that over-the-counter wart freezes don't work as well as the liquid nitrogen your doctor puts on the warts. It is recommended to be careful with wart removal products as they are flammable and should not be used near fire and heat sources.

Method 2 of 4: Using medical supplies

1. Ask your doctor for a prescription for a chemical. Your doctor may recommend prescription chemicals to try to kill the skin cells on the warts. These agents usually contain chemicals such as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde and silver nitrate.
   • These chemicals can cause side effects such as browning of the skin around the wart and burns on the skin around the wart.
   • Your doctor may also prescribe a stronger prescription remedy with salicylic acid. This drug gradually removes layers from the wart and often works better when used in conjunction with freezing or cryotherapy.
2. Ask your doctor about cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is a treatment where your doctor applies liquid nitrogen to the wart, creating a blister under and around the wart. The dead skin tissue can be removed seven to ten days after freezing. However, this method can cause your immune system to fight viral warts and you may have to undergo multiple treatments to get rid of the wart completely.
   • A cryotherapy session usually lasts from five minutes to 15 minutes and can be painful. If the warts on your hands are large, they may need to be frozen several times before they are completely gone.
   • Cryotherapy has several side effects such as pain, blistering and discolored skin around the wart.
3. Consider getting a laser treatment to get rid of the warts. Your doctor may recommend that you undergo a treatment with a so-called pulsed dye laser to burn away the tiny blood vessels in the wart. The infected tissue then dies and the wart falls off your hand.
   • Keep in mind that this method does not always work well. It can also cause pain and scarring around the affected area.

Method 3 of 4: Using unproven home remedies

1. Treat the warts with duct tape. Studies have not come up with unambiguous evidence that duct tape works to remove warts. Many doctors believe that duct tape does not work any better than a placebo and that this method does not work to get rid of warts. However, there are some cases where the use of duct tape on warts has been shown to work.
   • You can try the duct tape method by covering the wart with duct tape or electrical tape for six days. After six days, you can soak the wart in water and gently remove any dead skin on and around the wart with a pumice stone or emery file.
   • You will then need to expose the wart to air for 12 hours and repeat the process until the wart is gone.
2. Use raw garlic. It is said that the caustic effect of garlic can help to blister the area with the wart, so that the wart will eventually fall off the skin. Keep in mind that this method is not medically proven and may not work as well as medical treatments for warts.
   • Crush one or two cloves of garlic with a mortar and pestle until you get a paste. Apply the garlic paste on the warts and band them so that the garlic paste can penetrate the warts.
   • Apply new garlic to the warts once a day, but do not allow the garlic to come into contact with the healthy skin around the warts. You can rub the healthy skin with petroleum jelly so that the garlic paste does not stick to the skin.
3. Soak the warts in apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar does not kill the HPV virus that causes the warts, but it is very acidic, which can help flake and remove the skin on the wart. The area with the wart may hurt and swell slightly when you use apple cider vinegar, but these side effects should stop after a few days. Keep in mind that there is no proof that this method works for getting rid of warts.
   • Soak one or two cotton balls in two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Squeeze the excess vinegar from the cotton balls but make sure they are well soaked.
   • Apply the cotton balls to the warts and secure them with gauze or medical tape. Let the apple cider vinegar soak into the warts overnight. Repeat this every night for one to two weeks using clean cotton balls. After a few days, the warts will turn darker or black in color, which is a good sign and means the apple cider vinegar is working. The warts will eventually fall off your hands on their own.
4. Use basil leaves. Fresh basil contains multiple antiviral ingredients and can help get rid of warts faster. Please note that this removal method is not medically proven and you do so at your own risk.
   • Use clean hands or a mortar and pestle to crush 30 grams of fresh basil leaves until they are mushy and moist. Gently apply the crushed basil to your warts and cover the warts with a clean bandage or cloth.
   • Apply basil to your warts for one to two weeks until they fall off your hands.

Method 4 of 4: Prevent warts on your fingers

1. Do not pick on the warts and avoid direct contact with other people's warts. The virus that causes warts can be passed on to other people if you touch or pick on the warts. Leave the warts on your hands alone and toddler and don't scratch them.
   • Also, don't lend the emery file or pumice stone you used to file your warts to other people. Only use the emery file or pumice stone on your own warts and not on other parts of your body to avoid spreading the virus.
2. Maintain good hand and nail hygiene. If possible, don't bite your fingernails. Broken skin that has been bitten or chewed on, for example, is more susceptible to warts.
   • Also, do not brush, cut, or shave the warts, as this can irritate the warts and spread the virus.
   • Keep your nails and hands clean. Always wash your hands well after touching your warts or surfaces and objects that are used by multiple people, such as exercise equipment at the gym and grab bars on a bus.
3. Wear flip flops in public swimming pools and communal shower areas. Always wear plastic slippers in changing rooms and the public areas of public swimming pools and communal shower areas to reduce the risk of getting warts or infecting other people with the virus.
   • If you have warts and plan to go for a swim in a public pool, put water-resistant patches over the warts to avoid infecting others.