Touch, rub or freeze
Warts are harmless, but they are very stubborn. They often disappear on their own after one to two years. As long as you have warts, you can infect others. Moreover, they sometimes hurt and they are not very beautiful either. How do you get rid of it faster?
You get warts from infection with a virus. You get ‘ordinary’ warts from one of the viruses in the human papillomavirus (HPV) family. water warts are caused by the molluscum contagiosum virus.
Warts usually disappear on their own. The body forms antibodies against the virus. These protect you for the rest of your life against infections with the same type of virus. With ordinary warts it can take up to two years before they heal spontaneously, water warts usually disappear faster. If you have a disturbed immune system or if you use immunosuppressive medication, it can take much longer.
touch
At the drugstore you will find various liquids and ointments with which you can touch normal warts. Products containing salicylic acid loosen the top layer of the skin. You must use it daily. Salicylic acid can irritate healthy skin, so lubricate the skin around the wart with Vaseline or zinc ointment before touching it. Products with formic acid dry out warts, so you only need to touch the warts once a week.
With water warts it is best to just wait. Cover an inflamed water wart with a plaster. You can pierce them with an iodine-dipped skewer, but then you run the risk that a scar arises.
home remedies
There are countless home remedies for warts. Its effect has not been scientifically proven, but some people have had positive experiences with it. For example, smear the wart with morning urine, honey, potato, a clove of garlic, colorless nail polish, the inside of a fava bean husk, dandelion juice, tea tree oil, school chalk, zinc ointment, the juice from the stems of celandine, et cetera. Also covering warts with duct tape – very strong, silver-coloured tape – seems to be able to help.
Freeze, cut or burn away
You do not need to go to the doctor with warts, unless they are near the anus or genitals. You cannot treat genital warts yourself. Even if the warts change color or size, itching or bleeding, it is wise to have the warts checked to make sure they are not cancerous.
Even if the warts are in the way or if nothing seems to help, the doctor offers additional treatments. This can freeze the warts with liquid nitrogen, so that the tissue dies. This feels burning and sometimes painful. A blister often forms after freezing. Usually several treatments are needed. In addition, warts can be burned away with a kind of welding device (coagulation). Another option is to cut or ‘spoon’ the wart under local anaesthetic.
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