Warts are an infection that appear on the body that are caused by the human papillomavirus. Warts can develop on the skin, in the mouth, on the genitals and in the rectal area. Warts are very contagious and can be spread from contact from one person to the next. They can also be spread by using items from someone who has them. Warts usually disappear on their own but can be treated if they are painful and embarrassing. Treating warts also lessens the risk that they will spread to other parts of the body.
Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid can be used on the skin every day for several weeks to burn off the wart from the skin. Compound W is the most common name brand of salicylic acid and can be purchased at any drug store. Clean or bathe the area of the wart and pat dry with a clean towel. Apply the acid directly to the wart. The acid works best when it is applied to wet skin. Every day, before you take a bath, use a pumice stone or emery board to file away the dead skin, then reapply the acid after you have taken your bath. This method may take a little longer for removal, but the wart is usually completely gone in a few weeks.
Cantharidin
Cantharidin is a chemical that can be applied to the skin by your doctor. Cantharidin will cause blistering on the wart within three to eight hours, and you may experience some mild pain. A bandage is placed on the wart after the treatment and you will return to your doctor in several days and he will remove any dead skin off of the wart. If all of the wart is not gone, the doctor may apply another application of the chemical to be removed at the next visit. This is one of the faster methods of removal because the wart can often vanish with one treatment.
Liquid Nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is often used in a process that is referred to as cryotherapy. Liquid nitrogen is applied to the wart and it is frozen off. This is probably the longest treatment as it often does not work in removing the wart and your physician may suggest another form of treatment, but sometimes the disappearance of the wart can take as little as one week.
Burning
The fastest method of removing the wart is through burning the wart off. Your doctor may burn the wart off which results in complete, instant removal. You will have to wait for the burn to heal which usually only takes a few days. If any of the wart is left behind, your body's immunities are usually strong enough to destroy the rest of the wart.
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