Warts are caused by a viral infection called human papillomavirus, also called HPV. Over 120 different types of HPV are circulating in the population, according to A.M. Porro in a study published in the December 2003 issue of the "British Journal of Dermatology." Most common warts appear on the hands and feet and eventually go away without treatment. This can take time, in some cases years, and you may want to speed things along by using a wart remover. Various treatments are available, depending on the type of wart.
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid applied to warts will slowly remove the wart, according to the Mayo Clinic. The salicylic acid removes the surface layer of the wart. The cream needs to be re-applied continually until the wart is completely removed. This can take some time depending on how fast your skin sheds and heals.
Cantharidin
Cantharidin is an extract that comes from the blister beetle. It is mixed with other chemicals to make a wart remover compound, according to the Mayo Clinic. This substance is painted onto the wart and covered with a bandage. A blister forms over the wart, lifting the wart off your skin. Your doctor then removes the dead part of the wart.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil, or melaleuca alternifolia, is used as a wart remover. Place two to four drops of the oil on the wart, cover with a thin slice of garlic or banana peel and tape into place. Repeat this every night for up to 3 weeks, recommends the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Bleomycin
If you have extremely bad warts that are not going away, you may want to ask your doctor about bleomycin, also called blenoxane. A doctor injects this medication into your wart. It kills the virus that causes the wart. This medication is also used to treat some kinds of cancer and should be used with caution. The side effects include nail loss and nerve and skin damage, notes the Mayo Clinic.
Liquid Nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen destroys your wart by freezing it off your skin. More than one treatment may be necessary and it is mildly painful. A doctor applies the liquid nitrogen, which causes the skin to blister around your wart. The skin dies and flakes off within about a week. The Mayo Clinic reports that liquid nitrogen may cause permanent damage to your nail bed or nerves in the treated area.
