Minor surgery. Your doctor can cut away the bothersome tissue. It may leave a scar in the treated area.

Peeling medicine (salicylic acid). Nonprescription wart removal products such as salicylic acid are available as a patch, ointment, pad and liquid. For common warts, look for a 17 percent salicylic acid solution. These products (Compound W, Dr. Scholl's Clear Away Wart Remover, others) are usually used daily, often for a few weeks. For best results, soak your wart in warm water for a few minutes before applying the product. File away any dead skin with a disposable emery board or a pumice stone between treatments. Study results have been mixed on the effectiveness of duct tape in removing warts, either alone or with other therapies. If your skin becomes too irritated, decrease how often you use this method to treat your wart. If you're pregnant, talk with your doctor before using an acid solution.Freezing (cryotherapy). Freezing therapy done at a doctor's office involves applying liquid nitrogen to your wart. Freezing works by causing a blister to form under and around your wart. Then, the dead tissue sloughs off within a week or so. This method may also stimulate your immune system to fight viral warts. You'll likely need repeat treatments. Stronger peeling medicine (salicylic acid). Prescription-strength wart medications with salicylic acid work by removing layers of a wart a little bit at a time. Studies show that salicylic acid is more effective when combined with freezing. Anyone can develop warts, but factors that increase the risk include: frequently getting the hands wet, hands or feet that sweat heavily, swimming in public swimming pools and walking barefoot in areas where others have walked barefoot, such as communal showers and changing rooms. 4,7,8 How to treat warts and verrucas at home Over-the-counter options such as the Scholl Freeze Verruca & Wart Remover use a mixture of dimethyl ether and propane to rapidly freeze warts and verrucas in the comfort of your own home. Warts and verrucas are a common occurence. 2,4 With that said, there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing a wart: 4,7,8

Your doctor may suggest one of the following approaches, based on the location of your warts, your symptoms and your preferences. These methods are sometimes used in combination with home treatments, such as salicylic acid. Try the Scholl Wart Removal System, which contains salicylic acid discs which breaks down hardened skin and ensure that only the specific problem area is treated, without affecting the surrounding skin. For many people, warts and verrucas will often clear up on their own over time. 2 If however, they cause discomfort or disrupt your day-to-day activities, there are various wart removal products available. 1-3

Lifestyle and home remedies

Home treatment is often effective in removing common warts. Unless you have an impaired immune system or diabetes, try these methods: Duct tape. Cover the wart with silver duct tape for six days. Then soak it in water and gently remove dead tissue with a pumice stone or disposable emery board. Leave the wart exposed for about 12 hours, and then repeat the process until the wart is gone. Have a question about warts and verrucas? Have a wart on your body, but not sure how to treat it? We may have an answer for you here. Read on to learn more about causes, symptoms, and treatments. What are warts and verrucas?

If you are concerned about your wart or verruca or if your wart or verruca persists after home treatment, you should speak to your GP.The goals of treatment are to destroy the wart, stimulate an immune system response to fight the virus, or both. Treatment may take weeks or months. Even with treatment, warts tend to recur or spread. Doctors generally start with the least painful methods, especially when treating young children. Warts are benign growths on the skin caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and can appear anywhere on the body, either alone or in clusters. 1-5 The term “verruca” can also be used when referring to warts on the body, or when specifically referring to a wart on the sole of the foot (more technically known as “verruca plantaris” or simply plantar wart). 2,6 What are the signs of warts and verrucas? Warts and verrucas are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). 1,2 There are over 150 types known strains of HPV that can cause different types of warts and verrucas. 2