Key Points at a Glance
- Anyone who discovers small warts on their body will likely want to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
- But how can this be done?
- We'll share a few home remedies that can help with common types of warts, but they don't always work 100 percent of the time.
- You should, however, avoid cutting it yourself at all costs.
The term “wart” is commonly associated with severe, clearly visible changes in the skin, often on the face. In books and movies, the villain is often depicted as having facial warts—but more often than not, a wart is simply a small, harmless skin lesion that may cause a little pain in a few cases. Warts are caused by human papillomaviruses (HPV) and can be transmitted through interpersonal contact.
General Information About Warts
This means that warts are contagious (with the exception of so-called age warts). However, in many cases, people who have been infected don’t notice it until a few weeks later—sometimes even months later. That’s when the warts actually form and become visible on the skin. In many cases, however, warts do not develop at all because the immune system suppresses this response.
Children are often affected. This is because their immune systems have never been exposed to warts before. So when a child becomes infected with warts, the likelihood of warts developing is usually higher than in adults. Adults are more likely to develop warts if they lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Warts usually form on the hands and feet, on the cheeks, on the forehead, around the mouth, and in the genital area.
What are the different types of warts?
Children, teenagers, and adults are most commonly affected by plantar warts, which usually appear on the face, fingers, or nails. Flat warts also tend to affect children—and girls more than boys—and are typically contracted in communal showers or saunas. They appear on the back of the hand, the shin, the neck, or the face. Plantar warts form on the feet and can be painful.
Molluscum contagiosum lurks in swimming pools and saunas and mainly appears on the upper body, arms, hands, or fingers. Genital warts, on the other hand, usually develop in the genital or anal area or even on the genitals.
Home Remedies – Removing Small Warts Yourself
But how do you get rid of these pesky little things? Of course, in more severe cases, you should see a doctor right away. Often, though, home remedies can help or at least provide some relief. For example, you can stick a piece of adhesive tape on the wart for about a week; this softens it, and ideally, it can then be filed away. A piece of garlic, taped to a wart overnight with a band-aid, releases juice into the wart and thereby combats it. Apple cider vinegar on a cotton pad can also help if you reapply it twice a day and secure the pad with a bandage. Over time, this will soften the wart, and it will fall off on its own.
By the way, you can also soften the affected area at home by applying a solution of lactic acid or salicylic acid for a while. During this time, you should protect the skin around the wart with a greasy cream, such as Vaseline.
Sometimes warts cause itching—don't give in to the urge to scratch. This can encourage the formation of more warts on your skin.
