Warts, especially on the hands, often spring up out of nowhere.
You have this strange, crusty lump on your skinor, more often, your childsand now what?
They dont come off easily, since theyre embedded in the skin.
Fortunately, home treatments can be as effective as those you get in the doctors office.
What causes warts?
Warts are because of a virus, specifically the human papillomavirus.
Thatswhy we have a vaccine against it.
But some types of HPV just cause warts on the skin.
This means, importantly, that warts are contagious.
When can you treat a wart at home?
Not all warts are candidates for home treatment, and not everything thatlookslike a wart is a wart.
If you arent sure, get a professionals opinion.
Youll also want professional help if you have a weakened immune system.
How can you treat a wart at home?
One of the valid approaches to warts is to simply wait for it to go away.
It may take a while, though: Half of warts will disappearin about a year.
That doesnt mean theyre an instant cure, though.
By comparison, only 48% resolved in that timeframe with a placebo.
Cover the wart with a bandage to avoid spreading the virus, and repeat as directed.
My daughter had a wart on her hand once, and this is exactly what the doctor recommended.
Make the appointment, she said, which will probably be a few weeks out.
Use the wart remover in the meantime.
By the time the appointment rolled around, the wart was clearly not long for this world.
We canceled the appointment, and pretty soon the wart fell right out.
A wart isnt just a crusty area of skin; its like a tiny little tumor.
Old-timers will talk about a wart having a seed underneath, and I get where that comes from.
Duct tape and other traditional cures
Probably the next most commonly recommended wart cure is duct tape.
Clinical trials havent been able to say for sure whether or not duct tape works.
If you cant get wart remover, it probably doesnt hurt to try duct tape.
Other home remedies probably arent effective.
Probably not effective, but could be fun to do.
(They can then pass the wart on to someone else in the same way.)
