Skin warts are uncomfortable, and they are also contagious. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and you must take proper precautions to prevent spreading the disease to others. Most warts can be treated with home remedies and over the counter solutions; however warts that appear on the face or in the genital area should be treated by a physician. Overtime warts will generally go away on their own, but it could literally take months for that to happen. Most people will choose to treat the wart as soon as possible to eliminate the chance of infecting others.
You can purchase wart removal kits from your local drugstore, if you decide to use a home treatment always follow the direction when applying the treatment. Most over the counter wart removal creams, ointments, gels and other topical solutions contain Salicylic Acid which is known as a keratolytic it is derived from the bark of a willow tree. The way Salicylic Acid works causing the skin to peel, where it has thickened from the wart once the skin is loosed up the wart should fall off. Salicylic acid deprives the wart and the area around it of protein and that helps dry it up. Salicylic acid has few side effects and can generally be tolerated by most people.
Another way to remove a wart is to freeze it off. There are over the counter prescriptions for freezing off warts. There are many brand name strips and gels that use a mixture of dimethyl ether and propane to freeze off the wart. The medicine usually comes in a canister and many of them are designed to work in just one application. If none of the home remedies work you should see a physician about the wart. He or she can prescribe an irritating cream or possible give you an injection to cure the problem.
