Whether raised or flat, alone or in packs, on your hands or on your feet, warts are unsightly and you want them gone. But before you head to the doctor for surgery or to the drug store for over-the-counter remedies, try a home remedy. It'll be more convenient, more comfortable and less expensive. You've nothing to lose--if home remedies don't work, you can always try other options later.
Causes and Prevention
Warts are caused by the papilloma virus, which is contagious. The virus can be passed from person to person directly or indirectly. No form of contact is guaranteed to result in a wart, but your chances of catching the papilloma virus are higher if your skin is cut, cracked or otherwise damaged. To reduce your chances, don't bite your nails or pick at your cuticles, and wear flip-flops in public showers and locker rooms.
Deciding to Treat
After a few months or years, your wart may simply vanish without any effort on your part. But warts can spread to other parts of your body. If new warts appear, or if your wart is painful or embarrassing, treatment may be a good idea.
Folk Cures
Warts are surprisingly susceptible to "mind over matter" methods. You may succeed at causing a child's wart to vanish by having her give you a drawing of the wart upon which you will "cast a spell." Even as a skeptical adult, you may obtain results via folk remedies like rubbing your wart with milkweed sap, a piece of raw potato or the early morning dew from a rose at full moon. Choose a book on folklore and try whatever age-old ritual captures your imagination. Then keep an open mind and see what happens.
Drying
Warts need moisture. Keep the wart dry and it may shrivel up and disappear. Dermatologist Marc A. Brenner recommends applying a medicated foot powder "10 times a day if necessary" to dry out your plantar warts. You might also try baby powder. Change your socks several times a day to keep sweat from building up.
Tape
Dermatologist Thomas Goodman Jr. reports some success with wrapping warts. Wrap your wart tight with medical tape or first-aid tape. According to the McKinley Health Center, you can even use duct tape. Make sure the wrap is snug, and leave it on constantly for at least three weeks.
Topical Applications
According to the "Doctors Book of Home Remedies," topical applications of vitamin A can cure a wart. Buy capsules that contain 25,000 international units of natural fish oil or fish-liver oil, crack one open, and squeeze out the liquid onto your wart. Do this once a day. Do not take these capsules orally; vitamin A can be toxic in large doses.
Vitamin C can help, too. Crush tablets and add just enough water to form a paste, then apply this paste with a bandage to keep it from rubbing off. Try to get the paste only on the wart, though; ascorbic acid can irritate your skin.
A drop of castor oil applied to the wart twice daily, taped according to Goodman's instructions, is another method that some people have benefited from. Herbal consultant and educator Jane Bothwell suggests mixing castor oil into a thick paste with baking soda and applying this paste under a bandage several times a day.
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