Safe and Effective Methods of Wart Removal

If you've ever had a wart, you will know how unsightly, ugly and annoying they can be. As soon as we see the first signs of a wart forming, whether on our hand , fingers, feet, or heaven forbid our genitals! We all have the same thoughts and questions, namely. Are they dangerous or contagious? Can they be removed safely? What treatments are available and do they actually work? How long will the wart last for and will it go away in time on its own? For such a straightforward, normally non threatening condition, there is a disproportionate amount of products and information available online - it seems that even non life threatening and even painless conditions can drive us to take action if they affect our looks and therefore self esteem.

The vast majority of warts are nothing more than an unsightly skin tag or blemish, with no real health concerns or long-term implications whatsoever. However the HPV virus causes them so they can be contagious, but in 99% of cases they simply disappear over time with no treatment required. Plantar warts (warts on the load bearing parts of the feet) sometimes will require medical intervention to relieve pain. The constant pressure of the bodyweight on these warts can cause them to grow into the foot quite deeply until eventually it becomes painful to even walk or stand up.

In the case of Plantar warts (some times incorrectly referred to as Planter's warts) Doctors will offer a number of removal solutions such as shocking or burning the wart (killing the virus at the roots and causing the wart to burn and fade away) or Freezing warts with liquid nitrogen. Obviously the fastest method is wart removal is surgery, simply removing the wart and killing any sign of the HPV virus, which will also stop any future warts.

Additionally there are many treatments used by wart sufferers for which there is no medical backing, these "home grown" remedies include duct tape removal - this involves applying an over the counter treatment such as Salicylic acid in its various brand names at night, then applying duct tape over the wart and removing the tape in the morning, the theory behind this is every time you tear off the duct tape you are removing a thin layer of the wart itself. Using anti ulcer drugs in liquid form topically - there is a lot of anecdotal evidence on forums where people have successfully used anti ulcer drugs like Zantac in liquid form to remove or greatly reduce warts, however there is no medical trials to support this, and finally shaving the wart daily with a razor blade! Obviously you should not follow any of these "alternative treatments" without consulting a physician or dermatologist in the first instance.