Are Over-The-Counter Wart Treatments Safe?

You can’t damage yourself with these treatments. If you get salicylic acid on normal skin, it can cause burning or redness but never infection or scarring. All you have to do is stop using it on irritated areas, and the skin returns to normal. Still, it’s probably better not to use salicylic acid on sensitive areas like the face or groin, where it’s likely to make nearby skin raw and uncomfortable.

It generally is recommended that salicylic acid not be used in people with diabetes or in areas where there is poor circulation (because of concern about how normally the skin can heal; however, in practice, salicylic acid is withheld only when there are clear signs of ongoing inflammation of the skin).

Likewise, nonprescription freezing products are also safe but must be used carefully and only according to package instructions.

Are wart treatments effective?

Above all, wart treatments require patience. How well wart treatments work is another matter. Warts can appear and disappear without an identifiable cause and may disappear on their own without treatment. Some warts sprout offshoots near the main wart, and others don’t. Some hurt, and others are painless. Certain warts, even of the same type, respond to treatment, while others (even on the same person at the same time) don’t. All treatment methods often require many sessions over weeks, months, or longer to succeed.

Here is a practical approach to the treatment of warts:

• • Plantar warts: Warts on the bottom of the foot feel deep, but they are still within the superficial layer of the skin. Salicylic-acid drops and plasters help remove the thick overlying callus and make the wart feel less like a marble in your shoe. Nonprescription aerosol freezing may be used as well.
  • Common hand warts: These are typically unattractive, although not painful. Salicylic acid can make them smaller and go away in some cases, as can nonprescription freezing.

1. If you can ignore your warts, do so. Eventually, they’ll go away (although eventually can mean a long time — even months or years).

2. If you have an easy case (a single wart on the face or one or a few on the hands), see a doctor for a quick freeze or electrical zap. This method is simple, almost painless, and non-scarring.

3. If you have a hard case, you can start by treating the warts for a few weeks on your own. Examples:

If you have an all-but-impossible case, don’t try too hard. You don’t want to make the treatment worse than the disease. Examples:

• Warts under the nails: These are extremely resistant to treatment. One or two tries by the doctor are worth a shot, but if they fail, putting acid on them yourself just makes them look rough and unattractive.
• “Mosaic” warts: Tiny, so-called “seed warts” can proliferate by the dozens or hundreds all over the sole of the foot. They don’t usually hurt, and they rarely respond to any sort of treatment, although in this case, too, one or two tries at treatment may be in order.
• Flat warts: These are small, flat, flesh-colored pimples and may be numerous on one part of the body (for example on the face, arms, or groin). Getting rid of them by a light application of salicylic acid or other method is easy enough, but they have a tendency to recur.

Removing Warts with Cryosurgery

How can my wart be removed?

Warts can be removed in a number of ways. One way is called cryosurgery (freezing the wart). This 2-step process removes the wart without hurting the skin around it.

The first step is getting your wart ready to be removed. You can help with this step. The second step is freezing the wart, which will be done by your doctor in his or her office. You may need to have several freezing treatments before the wart is completely removed.

What do I need to do?

You must do some things on your own at home to get the wart ready for removal. Doing these things before you come to your doctor’s office can reduce the number of freezing treatments you need. You should do the following:

1. Every night for 2 weeks, clean the wart with soap and water and put 17% salicylic acid gel (one brand name: Compound W) on it.

2. After putting on the gel, cover the wart with a piece of 40% salicylic acid pad (one brand name: Mediplast). Cut the pad so that it is a little bit bigger than the wart. The pad has a sticky backing that will help it stay on the wart.

3. Leave the pad on the wart for 24 hours. If the area becomes very sore or red, stop using the gel and pad and call your doctor’s office.

4. After you take the pad off, clean the area with soap and water, put more gel on the wart and put on another pad. If you are very active during the day and the pad moves off the wart, you can leave the area uncovered during the day and only wear the pad at night.

What happens next?

After 2 weeks of this treatment, your wart will have turned white and will look fluffy. Your doctor will then be able to remove the white skin layer covering the wart and use cryosurgery to freeze the base (root) of the wart. If your skin reacts strongly to cold, tell your doctor before cryosurgery.

Cryosurgery can be uncomfortable, but it usually isn’t too painful. The freezing is somewhat numbing. When your doctor places the instrument on your skin to freeze the wart, it will feel like an ice cube is stuck to your skin. Afterward, you may feel a burning sensation as your skin thaws out.

Healing after cryosurgery usually doesn’t take long. You will probably be able to enjoy all your usual activities while you heal, including bathing or showering. Cryosurgery leaves little or no scar. After the area has healed, the treated skin may be a bit lighter in color than the skin around it.

Source

Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff. American Academy of Family Physicians

Reviewed/Updated: 12/06, Created: 09/93