Warts and verrucas
Treatments for warts and verrucas
Most warts and verrucas will eventually clear up without treatment.
They can be removed with over-the-counter treatments, but these can be time consuming, painful and don't always work.
Pharmacy treatments include:
- creams, gels, skin paints and medicated plasters containing salicylic acid these burn the top layer of affected skin
- cold sprays containing dimethyl ether propane these freeze the wart, but they're not thought to work as well as salicylic acid
There'snot enoughevidence to suggest applying duct tape to a wart or verruca works, so this isn't generally recommended.
Always check the leaflet that comes with the medication to check it's suitable and to see how to use it. Ask a pharmacist if you're not sure.
Salicylic acid needs to be applied every day. Before using it:
- soak the wart in water for about five minutes to soften it
- apply petroleum jelly to theskin around the wart to protect it
- once a week, gently file the wart down a little using an emery board
While you have a wart or verruca, you should also take steps to avoid passing it to others .
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Find out what warts and verrucas are, including what they look like and how you can get rid of them.
What warts and verrucas look like
Warts and verrucas come in all shapes and sizes. They can affect any part of the body, but are more common on the hands and feet. Warts : tendto be round or oval-shaped(although some are long an
Treatments for warts and verrucas
Most warts and verrucas will eventually clear up without treatment. They can be removed with over-the-counter treatments, but these can be time consuming, painful and don't always work. Pharmacy tre
When to see your GP
See your GP for advice if: you're not sure whether a lump is a wart your GP can usually identify a wart by looking at it pharmacy treatments haven't worked you have a wart on your face don't treat
Causes of warts and verrucas
Warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) . This causes an excess ofa substance called keratin to developin the toplayer of skin, resulting ina hard, rough lump. Warts don't spread easily,
Preventing warts and verrucas
It's difficult to prevent warts and verrucas completely, but the following measures can help stop them spreading: avoidtouching other people's warts wash your hands after touching your own wart avo
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